


Neo ~ The Search for Avonej

by Neo_Nebula



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: 7th Heaven - Freeform, Avalanche, Brothers, Chores, Corporal Punishment, Crybaby Loz, Discipline, Drama, Edge city, Family, Forgiveness, Gen, JENOVA - Freeform, Jenova Cells, Kadaj is a brat, Mental Illness, Orphans, Redemption, Remnants of Sephiroth, Shinra, Submissive Yazoo, The remnants survive, Turks - Freeform, aerith adopts the remnants, complete redo of an old fanfic, remnants living with Cloud
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-08-19 18:30:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20214328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neo_Nebula/pseuds/Neo_Nebula
Summary: This is a complete re-working of my 12+ year-old fanfic of the same name. I'm using the same gist, but it's otherwise different and improved. Aerith and Zack agree to adopt the remnants, but only if they find a way to be completely themselves and remove Jenova and Sephiroth from their identities. She sends them to live with Cloud, Tifa, and the orphans, where they must learn to be decent denizens of Edge and find a way to fulfill their new mission in a chaotic post-Meteor world that hates them.





	1. Awakening

Kadaj moans and blinks his eyes a few times, adjusting to a brightness. “M . . . Moth . . . er . . .?” He gently sits up while blinking a couple more times, and now looks around himself to see the scenery. He is sitting in the grass and there is a cottage nearby with flowers all around. The perimeter is all a glowing white. Feeling afraid, he turns his head in a panic and sees Loz lying unconscious a few feet away from him. He feels relief and crawls up to him.  
“Loz. Loz!” he calls while shaking his shoulder.  
“Huh? Wha?” Loz asks with his eyes still shut and his face crinkled. He opens his eyes halfway and sees his younger brother in a blur as his eyes try to focus on him.  
“Come on, Loz! Wake up!” Kadaj says, now with excitement. “I think we might be home!”  
Loz holds the back of his head as he raises up. “Home?”  
Kadaj crawls to Yazoo, who is so close to Loz they are nearly touching. He pushes on his shoulder as well. “Yazoo!”  
“Ah!” Yazoo cries as he sits up in shock. He is surprised as he looks around and sees the flowers around them, and now looks back to his brothers with his usual calm expression. “Where are we?”  
“Like I know!” Loz tells him.  
“The last thing I remember is . . . the rain and Mother's voice,” Kadaj says with so much joy and serenity that he nearly cries.  
“So . . . ,” Yazoo smiles, “you think Mother brought us home to her?”  
“That must be her house, then?” Loz asks, looking at the cottage.  
Kadaj gets to his feet. He helps Yazoo up while Loz gets up on his own. They hurry to the cottage, but before Kadaj knocks on the door, he spots a brunette woman in the corner of his vision standing in a flower garden. He looks back to his brothers. They speak to each other with their eyes, and immediately head toward her. They walk quickly in her direction, but suddenly, Kadaj's pace slows to barely moving at all. He swallows, feeling immensely nervous. “A . . . are you . . . Mother?” he asks, his brothers right behind him.  
The woman turns, as does the now-visible spikey-haired man next to her. She smiles gently at the remnants. “If you want me to be.”  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Loz asks with frustration.  
“Well, your **real** mother was an alien being known as Jenova,” the spikey haired guy begins. “She was evil and cruel, and only wanted to use you for her plans. She isn't the mother you want if you want to be loved.”  
“What?! How **dare** you!” Kadaj shouts defensively. “Mother is none of those things!”  
“Hmph! He obviously knows **nothing** of Mother!” Yazoo adds.  
“And what do **you** know about her? She wants to destroy the planet and move on, but what about you? **You** can't live in the same conditions **she**can. She **used** you.”  
“What makes you so sure?! Especially after all we've done for her!” Kadaj argues.  
“And she repaid you by replacing you with Sephiroth.” Kadaj's face melts from insulted to heartbroken. “You'd be with her right now if she cared about you. Instead, Aerith and I had to take you in.”  
“Aerith . . .” Kadaj repeats, looking at the woman. She smiles at him. He looks back at his brothers, and now back to the man. “But . . . **why**?!”  
“Because you deserve a second chance,” she answers. “A chance to be your own person, without Jenova. And a chance to be loved like you so long to be.”  
“And you'll love us?” Loz asks, beginning to cry.  
“Why not? And I'm sure Zack would make a good father.”  
“Uh . . . whoa, whoa, whoa!” Zack says, waving his arms in front of Aerith, making her laugh. “They haven't been looking for a daddy!”  
“But before we can formally adopt you,” Aerith continues, looking at the three remnants, “there's something I'm going to need you to do.”  
“Need us to do? Haven't we fought hard enough to get to Mother?” Kadaj complains.  
“I need to send you back.” The three look at her with shock. “I need for you to make peace with Cloud . . . you're big brother. And I want him to help you three find a way to be whole without Reunion.”  
“We . . . aren't good enough for you?” Yazoo says with offense.  
“We want you to be your own people. No more ties with Jenova and Sephiroth. So you can love yourselves and do what you wish,” Zack explains.  
“Do what we wish?” Kadaj asks. “But . . . all we've ever wished was to serve Mother!”  
“That's because you're remnants.”  
“Exactly. How can we? We're **part** of her! We're just remnants of Mother's memetic legacy.”  
“Talk to Cloud. He'll figure out what to do to make you whole.”  
“But . . . !”  
“Kadaj,” Aerith says. She takes him by a hand, stunning him. She places something in it with her other hand. “Give this to him. He'll help you. I promise. It's going to be okay.”  
He looks deeply into her eyes. His lip trembles. “I . . . just . . .” He shakes his head. “I just want Mother!” He puts his hands on the sides of his head with fists. His eyes are clenched shut in pain. Loz and Yazoo hug him while he begins to sob.  
“Kadaj . . . ,” Yazoo says sadly.  
Kadaj sobs loudly now.  
“This is why I want you to do this before we stay together,” Aerith informs. “Right now, you're still attached to Jenova. When you become whole, you will no longer feel the pain of rejection from her, and you can be happy with me and Zack.”  
Kadaj looks at her with hope through his tears. He wipes his tears on his sleeve while sniffing, so Yazoo lets go of him. He looks at Aerith again. “So, I just need to go talk to Big Brother?”  
“Yes. If you give him that,” she says, referring to the item still in his hand, “he'll believe you and help you.”  
Kadaj looks back at his brothers and motions with his head for them to follow him over to the side so that Aerith and Zack cannot hear them. They huddle in a circle.  
“What should we do?” Loz asks.  
“I really want a mother to love me,” Yazoo informs.  
Kadaj looks down sadly. “We were rejected . . .” He shakes his head. “What if we work hard again only to be rejected again?”  
“What else can we do? I'm with Yazoo; I want to be loved, too. I think we should try.”  
Kadaj nods. “Alright, then. It's decided.” He turns back to see Aerith and Zack, and leads his brothers back over to them. “We accept your challenge.”  
Aerith and Zack smile. “Good. But you'd better be on your best behavior this time,” Zack chuckles.  
Aerith points toward a sign. “Just follow that sign to get back to Edge. You'll find Cloud at 7th Heaven.” Kadaj moves his lips as if to say something, but no sound comes out. “What is it?” Kadaj looks at her with big, innocent eyes, but is too embarrassed to answer. Aerith takes a step closer to him and pulls him into a hug. She strokes his hair gently. “Kadaj, you and your brothers can do this. I'll be waiting here when you're ready.” Kadaj smiles warmly while holding onto her tightly. She kisses his forehead, surprising him. He leans back and looks at her. She strokes the hair around his face.  
“Mother . . .” he chokes.  
Loz comes up behind Kadaj, looking at Kadaj with frustration. “Out of the way! It's my turn!” he fusses. Kadaj gives him a angry face with his teeth showing as he steps aside. Loz hugs Aerith gently, and as she pets his back, his lip quivers. He pulls away and she kisses his forehead, too.  
“Please keep your brothers safe and out of trouble,” Aerith tells him.  
“Yes, Mother!” he says with pride as he walks away with a grin.  
Aerith looks over at Yazoo, who is turned away and looking downcast. She looks at him curiously, and now approaches. She places a hand on his shoulder. “Yazoo?” She feels that his shoulder is trembling lightly.  
Yazoo turns his head, but not enough to see her. He sniffs and turns back away.  
Aerith walks around to in front of him and sees that he is crying quietly. “Awww,” she says with pity. She pulls him into a tighter hug than she had Kadaj and Loz. “Please don't cry. Loz and Kadaj will take care of you for now.”  
Yazoo sniffs and fights his tears away while over her shoulder as he embraces her. “But . . . all I want is to be with my mother! I want to be loved!”  
Aerith strokes his back. “It's okay, Yazoo. I'll be waiting here for you, okay? Then, we can be a family.”  
Yazoo chokes. “A f-family . . .”  
“Yes.” She pulls back and looks at him. His hair is covering his face as he looks down again. “Please be good for your mother, okay?” Yazoo nods and brings his gaze to meet hers. She smiles as she sees his teary eyes. She kisses his forehead and pushes the hair from his face. Yazoo gives her a small smile. He wipes his tears away with his fingers and sniffs again.  
“Thank you . . . Mother,” he says weakly. He begins walking towards his brothers, but pauses when he notices them snickering. He frowns at them.  
“Heh. Don't cry, Yazoo,” Loz mocks.  
“That isn't being good,” Zack says disapprovingly while crossing his arms. “And it's also not taking care of each other.”  
Loz looks down in shame. “I'm sorry . . . Father.”  
“Alright. You three should go on to Edge now. We'll see you soon,” Aerith suggests. She and Zack fade along with the glow, leaving only a normal field with the city nearby and now in sight.


	2. A New Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud, Tifa, and the kids have some unexpected and unwanted guests . . .

Chapter 2: A New Perspective

“Tifa, may Denzel and I please go play in the clubhouse now?” Marlene asks, sitting at the dining room table with her legs swinging with excitement.   
“Are you done with your breakfast already?” Tifa questions, holding a dirty dish by the sink as if ready to wash it.  
“Uh-huh!” She is so excited that she is struggling to stay in her seat.  
“Alright, then. Go ahead.  
Marlene and Denzel, who had been sitting next to her, cheer as they race toward the door with great excitement. As Tifa goes over to the table to collect their dishes, she hears Cloud walk up behind her. “Where have you been?” she asks while turning toward him. “You missed breakfast.”  
“I'm sorry,” he apologizes seriously. “I just . . . I have to talk to Vincent.”  
“Vincent? What for?” she asks with concern. With annoyance, she adds, “Why can't you just talk to me?”  
“I keep having these weird dreams. And I feel like this isn't over yet somehow. I want to know if he has any information.”  
Tifa takes Cloud by the arm and leads him to the couch in the next room. They sit next to one another.  
“When you say **this** . . . ?” she asks morosely.  
“Kadaj.”  
“Maybe it's just that it didn't last long. And you started to feel your strength, only to not need it again right afterward.”  
“No. I don't think that's it.”  
Tifa looks at him with worry. “Cloud, you can't let this kind of thing destroy you! Marlene and Denzel and me missed having breakfast with you. And last night, you seemed a thousand miles away. You need to focus on what's real and the good things you've finally gotten!”  
Cloud hesitates while staring down at the floor. “You're right. I'm . . . dragging my feet again.” He shakes his head. “I have a family now.” He looks up at her. She smiles back at him with relief. Suddenly, the moment is cut short by knocking in an unusual pattern coming from the front door. They look at one another, and Cloud rises.

Outside the door, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are standing together arguing.  
“What kind of a knock was that?!” Kadaj fusses at Loz.  
“What?!” Loz whines.  
“I sure don't want to be seen after that!”  
“Well, I'm not gonna be the only one standing here! He hates me!” Loz looks at Yazoo. “Make Yazoo do it!”  
“I shot him. He'd be even angrier to see me,” Yazoo reminds.  
“Well, I'm the leader, and there's no way he hates either of you more than he does me!”  
Suddenly, the door opens, so they look toward it to see Cloud. Cloud's face moves from his sad expression to one of shock. As his eyes are seen scanning among the three brothers, his shock morphs into anger.   
Kadaj makes a sinister smile. “Good morning, Big Brother.”  
“Who is it, Cloud?” Tifa calls. She runs up behind him and freezes upon seeing the silver haired trio.   
“Aren't you glad to see us?” Yazoo asks.  
Cloud grabs Yazoo around the throat and pulls him inside, hitting his victim's body against the door facing in the process. Yazoo gasps while Loz and Kadaj panic.   
“Big Brother! No!” Loz yells.  
“We've come in peace!” Kadaj shouts.  
Cloud glares into Yazoo's eyes while he chokes and tries to speak. “P-please! Listen!” Yazoo coughs.   
Cloud stares at him for a second, and now looks back to see Loz and Kadaj still standing in the doorway with worried expressions. Cloud brings his attention back to Yazoo and gives him another glare. He slings him as he releases his throat, leaving him to fall on his knees and cough while grabbing at his neck. Tifa watches Yazoo while Cloud looks at Kadaj, noting he has not done anything to hurt him nor save his brother.   
“What do you want?” Cloud asks.  
“We've come for you help,” Kadaj replies.  
“My help?”  
Kadaj smiles with pride. “You see, our **new** mother, Aerith, sent us back here to find you.” Cloud's interest is piqued. Tifa looks with surprise, and quickly looks back to Yazoo, who is getting his breath back. “She and Zack have agreed to adopt us under one condition: that we find a way to become whole without Mother or Sephiroth. She told us to come find you for help.”  
“I don't believe you.”  
Kadaj reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. He reaches it out toward Cloud, revealing a glowing daffodil. “She said for me to give this to you.”  
Cloud looks at the flower as if his heart skipped a beat. He immediately recognizes it as the kind she always grew and sold to people. The glow of it reminds him of the Lifestream.  
“I promise. We're not here to cause any more trouble,” Kadaj assures.  
Cloud continues to stare at the daffodil before taking it from Kadaj. Delicately, he holds it as he continues examining it, but quickly expels the visibility of the warmth in his heart as he gives his cold look to the petite young man. “Alright. I'll help you as long as you don't try to pull anything. And I never want to hear another thing about Jenova or Reunion.”  
Kadaj and Loz smile brightly. “So we can be your little brothers now?” Loz cheers.  
Cloud stares at him flatly before turning around to see Yazoo is back on his feet with an uncomfortable expression. “Let's talk about this.”   
Loz and Kadaj come inside and close the door behind them. Cloud and Tifa sit on the love seat while the brothers take the couch with Kadaj in the middle.   
“So what is it you want from me?” Cloud questions.  
“For you to help us in becoming whole,” Kadaj repeats.  
“And how am I supposed to do that?”  
“I don't know. Mother said you could help.”  
“Mother?”  
“Our adopted mother. Aerith,” Yazoo clarifies.  
“I don't know anything about that,” Cloud informs.  
“But surely you would, being our big brother,” Kadaj smiles.  
“Go back to wherever you came from and leave us alone.”  
The brothers look at one another, and now back to Cloud. “But we're your family,” Loz reminds. “You have to look after us.”  
Tifa looks at the trio with frustration. “Family?! Kidnapping Marlene and brainwashing Denzel doesn't qualify you as being family!”  
Kadaj glares at her while Loz and Yazoo look down with shame. “We were doing what we were told! All we want is to have a family!” Kadaj shouts.   
“Tifa, they're just remnants. They don't understand anything but destruction and obeying Jenova,” Cloud says insultingly.   
Kadaj makes a face of hurt and disgust. He swallows as he begins to feel sick.   
“We're sorry,” Loz says, about to cry. “We'll be good now.”  
“Please forgive us,” Yazoo requests sadly.  
“We'll . . . do whatever you say, Big Brother,” Kadaj says, giving in. His words feel very forced. He looks down again. “I . . . I'll do anything to be loved by her.”  
Cloud and Tifa look at one another briefly. Cloud looks back at the sincere silvered hair boys. “Alright. I'll figure out what I can for you.” Cloud stands up now. “I'll see you later.”  
“Where are you going?” Loz questions.  
“No, it's where **you're** going.”  
“But . . . where will we go?” Yazoo asks worriedly.  
“I have children living here. You can't expect for me to let you stay here.”  
“Cloud,” Tifa says as she stands up. Cloud looks at her. In a whisper, she says to him, “How about we let them stay on the other end of the house? We need to keep an eye on them.”   
Cloud looks at her with surprise. He nods after a moment of pondering. “You can stay here after you surrender all of your weapons and materia.”  
Loz smiles and begins pulling his Dual Hound off of his arm. Yazoo pulls out his Velvet Nightmare and hands it to him gently. Kadaj simply glares at him. Loz now hands his Dual Hound and his own Velvet Nightmare to him.   
“Kadaj,” Cloud says, looking at him sternly.   
Kadaj shakes his head. “I won't be left defenseless!”  
“Then you'll be left homeless.”  
“Come on, Kadaj!” Loz complains.  
Cloud hands the Velvet Nightmares to Tifa.  
“Hand it over so we can be with Mother!” Yazoo adds.   
Loz grabs at the sword on Kadaj's back, earning him a swift kick from his youngest brother. Loz is sent against the wall.   
“Kadaj!” Yazoo scolds.  
Kadaj puts his sword, still in its sheath, in his hands. He looks down at it deeply. He looks up at Cloud now.   
“I'll put it somewhere safe,” Cloud informs.  
Kadaj continues staring at his beloved Souba. He swallows, and now hands it over to Cloud. Kadaj looks frightened as he sees it in Cloud's possession.   
“I'll put these away now,” Cloud says. “Tifa, can you show them to their room? And don't hesitate to fire at them if they try anything.”  
Tifa, still holding the guns, leads them up the stairs. She brings them down the long hallway and to the other side of the house. At the end of the hall, she opens the door, revealing a large room. “I hope you don't mind sharing a room.” She moves aside and lets them in.   
“No, we're always together,” Kadaj tells her.  
“Two beds,” Loz observes.  
“Sorry. All the others are being used by orphans.”  
“It's fine. Yazoo's scared to sleep alone anyway,” Kadaj says with a mean grin. Yazoo shoots him an offended look.  
“Good. So how about you three sit in here for a bit while we figure things out.” Tifa closes the door as she leaves. The lock is heard activating on the door.  
“Uhh . . . she just locked us in?” Loz asks.  
“As if you can't break it down. Let's just figure this out,” Kadaj says grouchily.   
Loz gets on the twin-sized bed and lays down. “Well, this one is mine!”  
Yazoo sits on the full-size one and crosses his arms. He is shooting Kadaj a dirty look as he sits next to him. “Why would you tell her I'm scared to sleep alone?” he asks angrily.  
“Only because it's true,” Kadaj smiles. “But don't worry – Mother said for us to take care of you.” He pulls Yazoo into a hug, and Yazoo pushes him away instantly and crosses his arms again.   
Yazoo blushes. “It embarrassed me.”  
“Hmph. Well, you can sleep in the floor, then, if you're not going to be appreciative.”  
Yazoo looks over at Loz, who is looking quite relaxed in his bed.  
“Nope. No room for you here,” Loz informs. His muscular physic takes up nearly all of the bed.  
Yazoo looks back at Kadaj. His anger fades to submissiveness. “I'm sorry, Kadaj.”  
Kadaj smiles meanly. “Good. I forgive you.” Kadaj pauses. “And just because we're living with Big Brother now doesn't mean you don't still have to be obedient to us.”  
“Yep. Just do as you're told, Yazoo,” Loz says.   
Yazoo looks down sadly.   
“Because we all remember what happened the last time you were disobedient in the Forgotten City.” Yazoo embraces himself and looks scared. Kadaj puts a hand on his arm gently. “Just be good and we'll take good care of you.” Yazoo nods sadly.

In Cloud and Tifa's bedroom, Cloud is sitting on his bed while Tifa is on her's next to his. The sun is shining brightly through the window as noon approaches.   
“Tifa, I'm not sure what to do,” Cloud tells her seriously.  
“It's a weird situation,” she agrees.  
“But . . . I don't really feel Jenova's presence.” Tifa looks at him with interest. “They seem different than before.”  
“Yeah. And they aren't putting up a fight at all.” She pauses, looking at the comforter she is sitting on. “I guess you were right – it wasn't really over.”  
Cloud lets out a silent sigh. “I guess we have to help them. Aerith wanted me to.” Cloud pulls the glowing daffodil out of his pocket and rolls it between his index finger and his thumb while studying it. “It's not easy to look at them after everything, but . . .”  
“But what does Aerith mean by making them whole without Jenova?”  
Cloud shakes his head. “I don't know. I'm still going to talk to Vincent soon. He watched them a lot in the Forgotten City, so maybe he has an answer.”  
Tifa nods with a small smile. 

Half an hour later, Cloud goes to the room at the end of the hall and unlocks it. As he opens the door, he sees the remnants still at their beds looking anxious. He steps into the room.  
“We've discussed the situation and decided to help you as long as you do what we say,” Cloud informs them. The three look pleased.   
“Does this mean . . . you'll be our big brother now?!” Kadaj asks with excitement.  
Cloud looks at him sternly. “We'll see.” The three remnants' faces light up with joy. “We're going to go over some rules before lunch. And start trying to figure out how we're going to accomplish making you three whole.”  
“Rules?” Kadaj asks.  
“Yes. Rules. You're no longer in charge. If you want my help and you want to live under my roof, then you have to do what we tell you to do. Otherwise, there'll be consequences.”  
Loz laughs. “Hear that, Kadaj? You're no longer in charge!”  
Kadaj smiles and closes his eyes. “I'm okay with that. As long as it's my Big Brother taking care of me.”  
Yazoo looks at him with offense. “Am I not your big brother?”  
Kadaj scoffs. “You and Loz don't count.”  
“Come on. I'll take you back to the living room where we can talk.” Cloud begins walking away, so Kadaj leads his brothers behind him. Once they arrive at their destination, they see Tifa is back on the love seat. They sit as they had before.  
“Alright, so all of you will obey our list of rules. Tifa and I are in charge of this household. You'll be respectful to both of us and leave the orphans and Marlene alone,” Cloud informs.   
Loz and Tifa exchange glares. Kadaj looks nervously at Cloud and Tifa, still not liking not being in charge. Yazoo is relaxed.  
“We also talked about it and decided you need to do your share of chores around here. With more people here, I'm going to need help keeping things done,” Tifa adds.   
“Chores?!” Loz exclaims with disgust.  
“Loz and Yazoo will be good at that while we discuss our mission,” Kadaj tells Cloud.  
“No. You're going to do chores, too,” Cloud informs.  
Kadaj looks baffled while Loz and Yazoo grin at him. “But!”  
“But nothing. You're part of this, too.”  
Kadaj crosses his arms and pouts angrily.   
“I don't mind helping,” Yazoo says.  
“Thank you,” Tifa tells him.   
“And some more of the rules are that you can't go out without permission, you can't come into our room or my office without me or Tifa, you can't have any weapons or materia, you can't be violent or harass anyone, and you have to do what you're told. Otherwise, you'll be punished,” Cloud explains.  
“You'll punish us?” Loz asks with concern.  
There is a knock at the door. The group looks toward it, so Cloud gets up and answers it. Barret strolls in while talking very loudly and enthusiastically. “Spikey, Marlene is **lovin'** that new club house! It's so nice to see my sweet baby girl havin' so much fun!” Barret's huge smile turns quickly to a look of rage as he looks over and sees the silver-haired brothers seated on the couch. “Aw, no!” He aims his gun arm at them, so Kadaj glares, Loz smiles, and Yazoo looks curious.   
“Barret!” Tifa calls worriedly, getting up from her seat.  
“I was just praisin' you for takin' care of Marlene, and now I see these monsters in here?!” Barret yells with fury.   
“Barret, wait!” Cloud orders. “Aerith sent them here!”  
Barret looks at Cloud as if he is crazy. “Did you ingest some of your hair gel again? She'd never do somethin' like that!”  
“Barret, it's true!” Tifa defends, standing at the end of the couch in front of the brothers. “She's helping them cut ties with Sephiroth! And we've taken all their weapons and materia, and are keeping a close eye on them!”  
Barret shakes his head angrily. “You've **got** to be kiddin' me!”  
“It's the truth!” Loz says, jumping up from his seat.  
Barret shoots at him, missing and firing a bullet into the wall. Kadaj and Yazoo gasp as they grab Loz's arm and pull him back down to his seat.   
“You make another move, you motherf****r, and you'll be full o' holes!” Barret roars hoarsely.  
Cloud puts his hand on Barret's gun arm and looks at him sternly in the eyes. “I promise you, if they try to pull anything, you'll have my permission to do that.” Cloud extends his look to the nervous remnants. Loz swallows with fear.  
“You really gonna help them?!” Barret asks, unbelieving.  
Cloud nods. “Yeah. For Aerith.”  
Barret sighs. “Well, if this is really what she wants . . .” He shakes his head. He now looks back at the trio. “If you lay ** one finger ** on Marlene . . . I'll ** make you pay ** !” Barret runs out the front door.

An hour later, it is nearly lunch time, so Tifa is preparing sandwiches in the kitchen while Cloud and Kadaj are in the living room. Loz and Yazoo are locked in their rooms upstairs while they rest, feeling a little tired from everything going on.   
Cloud is watching Kadaj closely from his chair. He studies him, seeing the silver hair and green feline eyes identical in characteristic to Sephiroth. The leather jumpsuit is the same he was wearing when he was terrorizing people, yet now he is occupying Cloud's couch. His posture is slouched and arrogant with his head resting in his hand, and his feet barely reach the floor. Underneath the outward appearance that nearly makes Cloud's blood boil, Cloud can see desperation, hope, and even a little fear in his odd eyes.  
Cloud gives him a firm look as he begins to speak, although he does not yet have Kadaj's attention. “Do you eat food?”  
Kadaj blinks as he raises his head up from his palm. He turns his neck to look at Cloud. “Huh?”  
“Do you eat food like we do, or . . .”  
Kadaj scoffs. “What kind of a question is that?! Of ** course ** we eat food!”  
“How would I know anything about a remnant of a madman?” He watches as Kadaj makes a face of anger and disgust at him. “Tifa's making lunch. I guess you can eat with us, then.”  
Kadaj's expression looks sad now as he looks down at his boots on the carpet. “Big Brother . . . do we really . . . ** disgust ** you that much?”  
“You are what's left of Sephiroth –“  
“I ** hate ** Sephiroth,” Kadaj interrupts coldly.   
Cloud is taken aback. He watches Kadaj, his hair hiding most of his face from the angle he is viewing him. He sees his body appears more tense than before.  
“Mother chose Sephiroth over me, even though I did my part. ** He's ** the one who failed her. And now, I have to work hard all over again for someone else to love me.” Kadaj's words are laced with bitterness and sorrow. His hidden gaze is still on his boots and the carpet. He bites his lip as his throat and eyes burn, trying to keep from crying in front of Cloud.  
“You really mean that, don't you?”   
Kadaj's heart skips a beat and he brings his gaze upward with wide eyes. He turns his face toward Cloud, revealing his watery eyes and trembling lip. He nods slowly.  
Cloud shakes his head with pity, seeing him as a neglected child.   
“Cloud!”  
Cloud and Kadaj turn to see Marlene and Denzel running toward them giddily from the entry way. Suddenly, Marlene gasps as they stop, seeing Kadaj. Marlene puts her arms up in front of herself in fear as Kadaj grins at her, so Denzel steps in front of her defensively.  
“Cloud! He's dangerous! He tried to hurt me and Marlene!” Denzel exclaims.   
Cloud gets out of his chair and stands in front of Kadaj, but not protectively. “It's okay, Denzel. He's going to be good now. Aerith wants me to take care of him.”  
“Wh . . . what?” Denzel's body nearly goes limp as he stares at Cloud as if realizing what is happening is only a dream.  
“Aerith did?” Marlene asks, poking out from behind the larger child.   
“He and his brothers are sorry for what they did. They were following orders,” he tells them gently. He looks down at Kadaj now, who is watching from the couch. “Right, Kadaj?”  
Kadaj nods. “Yeah.”  
“So Aerith needs us to teach them how to be good,” he tells the children.  
“You won't try to hurt us again?” Marlene asks Kadaj, scared.  
“No. My new mother wouldn't like that, and neither would my big brother,” Kadaj informs.  
“So if they do ** anything ** bad, hurt you, or scare you in any way, you have to tell me or Tifa right away. Okay?” Cloud says to Marlene and Denzel.  
“Okay,” Denzel agrees.  
“Uh huh!” Marlene replies.   
“Lunch is ready,” Tifa says, walking into the living room. She smiles upon seeing Marlene and Denzel turning toward her with smiles. “I see you've found out they're staying with us.”  
“I'll go get the other two,” Cloud announces, going toward the stairs.  
Once Cloud disappears up the stairs, Denzel lunges at Kadaj in a fighting stance in a failed attempt to intimidate him. He glares up at him, so Kadaj just looks down with a curious grin. “If you do anything, I'll take care of you myself,” he growls up at him.  
“Denzel!” Tifa scolds, getting a grip on his arm and pulling him gently back toward her. He turns and looks up at her. “Denzel, they're our guests. And they already know to be on their best behavior.”  
Kadaj puts his hands behind his back and grins down at Denzel with fake innocence. “I'll be extra good for Big Brother. I wouldn't want a puny child like you beat me up.”  
Tifa glares at Kadaj. “After what you did to him, you'd get a beating if it wasn't for Aerith.”  
Kadaj's only response is a look of defiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! What do you think so far? Please let me know! This story is basically a drama with a focus on family, redemption, and discipline, with some action and a plot I have worked hard on. 
> 
> Next chapter . . . How will the remnants react to their assigned chores? And will Vincent be of any help to Cloud?


	3. Longing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remnants are settling in their new living situation while still longing for a mother. Cloud gets some information that may help in their mission to make the trio whole again for Aerith.

Nightfall has come about to end the first day of the remnants of Sephiroth's dwelling in the Strife-Lockhart house. Denzel and Marlene are asleep in their beds, the silver-haired trio is locked in their room, and Tifa is asleep in her bed. Cloud is restlessly standing at the window of the bed room, gazing out at the full moon lighting up the outside scenery.   
In the locked room at the end of the hall, Yazoo and Kadaj are lying in their beds while Loz is at the desk. Yazoo listening warmly to Kadaj's speech while fluttering his long lashes as he fights sleep to listen. Loz is looking through the desk drawers to find something interesting to do until he is sleepy.   
“Just think: not long from now, Mother will tuck us in for the night,” Kadaj says with a smile while staring up at the ceiling. “Then, Father will read us a bedtime story until we fall asleep.”  
“And hug us goodnight?” Loz inquires innocently, gazing back at him from over his shoulder as he pulls open a drawer with magazines.  
“Yeah,” Kadaj answers. “And when we get up in the morning, she'll make us breakfast and we'll eat it with her.”  
Loz looks through the magazines to try to pick one while Yazoo smiles dreamily. “Kadaj, that was your best bedtime story so far,” Yazoo tells him.  
“Yeah. My favorite part was her teaching us new motorcycle tricks,” Loz adds.  
“And we'll get to see Big Brother?”   
“Of course,” Kadaj assures.   
Loz decides on the magazine about collectible cactuar merchandise and puts the rest back into the desk drawer. He flops back on his bed with the book. “I think I'm gonna like living with Big Brother. What about you two?”  
Yazoo hums sleepily. “Do you think he'll protect us, Kadaj?”  
Kadaj thinks for a moment. “You can feel safe, Yazoo. He won't hurt us as long as Aerith will be our new mother.”  
“So as long as we follow the rules and listen to Big Brother, we'll be okay?” Loz asks.  
“That's right. So while we wait to be with Mother, Big Brother will learn to be part of our family.”  
Yazoo cuddles in a little closer to Kadaj while lying on his side on his light pink pillow. He closes his eyes while smiling. Kadaj lets out a content sigh and turns his gaze past Yazoo to see out the window. Loz continues looking at cactuar condiment holders and pop guns.   
“I'll wait forever if I have to. I'll do anything for you . . . Mother . . .” Kadaj says quietly at the stars.

The next day, Kadaj and Loz are in the living room floor playing with toys while Yazoo is lazily laying across the couch. Tifa walks into the room and opens her mouth to say something, but pauses as she sees the oldest and youngest brother playing toys like children. She is intrigued. After watching them make dinosaurs hit one another a couple of times, she decides to speak.  
“Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo,” she begins. The three turn and give her their full attention. “Cloud has gone out to talk to Vincent about a way to help you. While he's gone, he wanted me to talk to you.” Kadaj and Loz rise from the floor and sit on the love seat together while Tifa remains standing. “So . . . like we mentioned earlier, the three of you are going to be doing chores and helping out around here. We've decided who is going to do what.” Kadaj makes a face of disgust, Loz looks bored, and Yazoo rolls his eyes. “Loz, since you're really strong, we thought you would be good at helping Cloud with the outdoor chores the orphans are too young to do, like lifting and helping to build things for the kids to play in.”   
Loz smiles. “Boy, that sounds good!”   
Tifa smiles, glad she is not having to argue with him. “Yazoo,” she says, getting his attention. “I could use some help in the kitchen and with laundry, so I thought it would be a good fit for you.”   
Yazoo blinks while Kadaj and Loz chuckle. “The kitchen?”  
“I don't know if you can cook, but maybe you could do things like the dishes for me. And depending on how well you do, I might even let you help me at the bar.”   
“The . . . ** dishes ** ?” Yazoo asks, seeming slightly offended.  
“Well, I don't know what you're good at, and I'm going to need more help now. We didn't think working outside suited you.” Yazoo is silent. “Kadaj,” Tifa continues on. Kadaj looks at her with a rebellious expression. “We'd like for you to gather the trash and –.”  
“Uh! The ** trash ** ?!” Kadaj interrupts, complaining.   
“Loz will be busy and it doesn't seem like a good fit for Yazoo.” Kadaj crosses his arms. “We wanted to give you a chore that wouldn't take up as much time, since you're going to be helping Cloud a lot.”  
Kadaj smiles at this. “Helping Big Brother?”  
“Yes. He'll need your input on how to help you. And I'm sure he'll need you to help him with his own things as well.”  
Yazoo looks down and crosses his arms with a jealous look on his face. He wishes he could help Cloud instead of having to work with Tifa in the kitchen. He now looks at his brothers, who are both looking very excited by their new chores. Tifa notices Yazoo's lack of enthusiasm.  
“Yazoo, is there something you'd rather do?” she asks kindly.   
“I want to help Big Brother.”  
Kadaj and Loz chuckle.  
“I'm sorry, but I think Kadaj would be more help to him. And I think you'd be more help to ** me **.” Yazoo turns his head to look at her. “Actually, if you're not doing anything right now, I'd like for you to help me with dinner.”  
Yazoo looks away, upset. “I don't feel like it.”  
Loz laughs. “Yazoo's lazy. You won't get much outta of him.”  
Tifa looks at Loz, and now back to Yazoo. She puts her hands on her hips. “If you don't, I'll tell Cloud and he'll punish you.”   
Yazoo cringes. “I . . . I'm sorry . . .”  
“Go help her, Yazoo,” Kadaj tells him.  
Yazoo gets up off of the couch unhappily and allows Tifa to lead him into the kitchen. Inside, Tifa goes to the stove and Yazoo stands across from her in front of the sink. Yazoo crosses his arms again and looks down at the floor, disinterested.  
“Would you rather work outside and have to lift and get dirty?” Tifa snaps, irritated already with his attitude.  
“No,” he answers with disgust.  
“Then why are you being so defiant? You should be thankful. Cloud wanted for you to clean the bathrooms and help Loz.”  
Yazoo's attitude softens a bit upon hearing this. He hears Tifa sigh as she turns toward the stove. “I don't mind doing housework. It's just . . .” She turns back around to look at him. “My brothers make fun of me. I'm not as strong and . . . ** manly ** as they are.”  
“Well, I didn't choose this for you to insult you. I needed help, and I've met your older brother – he's ** not ** suitable for housework or for working at my bar. And Kadaj is way too immature and bratty to handle it. You, on the other hand, are mild-mannered.” She pauses. “It's a compliment.”  
Yazoo smiles shyly. “Oh. Th-thank you.”  
Tifa smiles back. “Okay. So, do you know anything about cooking?” Yazoo shakes his head. “Then I'll show you how to cook fish. And you can help me set the table and hand me what I need.”

  
Cloud and Vincent are sitting together in an abandoned area of Midgar. Amidst the rubble, there are burned vehicles and various crushed items. Several feet behind the two men is Cloud's motorcycle.  
“Vincent,” Cloud begins, staring off into the distance. “Do you know anything about the remnants still being here?”  
Vincent looks up to stare where Cloud is looking. “I've been wandering around Edge since you fought Sephiroth there. I've heard rumors about there being a child who still has Jenova cells, and one who wants to take them from him and hide them.”  
“Children?” Cloud asks with confusion.  
“Orphans. But who knows if it's actually true? Kids like to tell tales.”  
“If there's a child with Jenova cells, does that mean they still have the stigma?”  
“I don't know that, either. But I think looking into this is somewhere to start if you want to make sure they're disconnected from Sephiroth.” Cloud nods. “I'll continue to keep an eye on things. I'll let you know if I learn anything else of interest.”  
“Thanks, Vincent.” Cloud stands.

Twenty minutes later, Cloud pulls into the driveway on his motorcycle. He parks it and walks up to the front door of the house, and uses his key to enter. Upon walking inside, he sees Kadaj standing in the mud room next to the doorway to the living room.   
“Big Brother! You're home!” Kadaj cheers. He stretches out his arms to hug him, but Cloud walks past him into the kitchen. Kadaj stands there, feeling dejected.   
“Oh, you're home already?” Tifa asks, turning from the counter to see Cloud enter. Yazoo looks away from the stove to see him.   
“Vincent was helpful. We're doing some digging and hope to figure out something,” Cloud informs. He brings his attention to Yazoo now.  
“He's been a big help,” Tifa tells Cloud with a smile.   
Cloud turns away and exits the room. He walks into the living room, where Loz is reading a weapon magazine and Kadaj is on the couch. Kadaj smiles as he sees Cloud come inside. He jumps up from his seat and goes toward him. Cloud ignores him, heading for the stairs.  
“Big Brother, I want to go ride your motorcycle!” Kadaj tells him.  
Cloud's attention has been grabbed. He stops and looks at Kadaj. “No.”  
Kadaj pouts. “But mine got destroyed!” Cloud begins walking away again. “Big Brother, do you hate me?”  
Cloud stops again with his hand on the beginning of the stair railing. Without turning around, he says, “You have a lot to make up for.”  
“I want to be your little brother!”  
Cloud turns and looks at Kadaj. Kadaj's eyes fill with hope. Cloud turns and resumes climbing the stairs.   
“Please! Don't leave! Let's play something!” Kadaj begs.  
“Not interested.”  
“Let's practice sword-fighting outside! I don't need to get rusty for our mission!”  
“Don't really care.” Cloud disappears upstairs.   
Kadaj scowls at where he was and growls. He turns toward Loz, who turns a page in the magazine. “Loz, you work outside now. Go find me a stick so I can practice.”  
“Not without permission from Big Brother or Tifa,” he says, not looking away from the text.  
“Then go ask Tifa.”  
“She's busy with Yazoo.”  
Kadaj walks away and into the kitchen. Once inside, he giggles as he sees Yazoo in an apron while stirring something on the stove. He watches as Yazoo looks over at him with an annoyed face.  
“Yes, Kadaj?” Tifa asks, rinsing a colander in the sink.   
“Can I play outside?” Kadaj requests with a mischievous look in his eyes.   
“No, I don't think so.”  
Kadaj silently grunts in frustration while eyeing the floor. He looks back up at her. “I'll be good.”  
“I don't believe you.”  
Kadaj makes a sour face. He now glances around the room while his brain works. He looks at Yazoo with amusement again. “Do you think my brother is suited for kitchen work?”  
“Yes, just as I think you're suited for trash work.”  
Kadaj is appalled and Yazoo covers his agape mouth with his hand.   
“If you're not going to help, please go back and play with Loz.”  
Kadaj turns away from her and sulks into the living room. He hugs himself and bites his lip as he fights tears.   
“Kadaj?” Loz asks, looking up from his magazine. He watches as Kadaj's hair falls even more over his face. “What happened?”  
Kadaj sniffs. “I'm going to my room.” He hurries to the stairs and ascends them. He lets out a sob on his way to the top.   
Loz sets the magazine on the cushion next to him and gets out of the seat. He goes to the base of the stairs and looks up. “Kadaj?” he calls. There is no response, so he sighs. He walks away from the stairs and across the room into the kitchen. “Hey, what happened in here?”   
Tifa and Yazoo look at him curiously.  
“What do you mean?” Yazoo asks.  
“Kadaj went upstairs crying.”  
Yazoo and Tifa exchange looks.  
“Well, I wouldn't let him play outside. And he made a rude comment toward Yazoo, so I made one back at him.”  
“Hmm,” Loz grunts.   
“I didn't mean to make him ** cry ** . . .”

Upstairs in the remnants' room, Kadaj is lying on the queen sized bed with his face in his pillow, weeping. The room is dark with the light off and only the afternoon sun shining in on him. He is gripping the pillow tightly.  
“Why does everyone hate me?!” Kadaj weeps. “All I've ever wanted was a family!” He continues sobbing pitifully.   
After a few moments, there is a knock on the bedroom door. “G-go away!” Kadaj cries.   
The door opens, allowing Cloud passage. He looks at Kadaj's back on the bed while he walks in and closes the door behind him. He hears him sobbing loudly like a child. Cloud takes a few steps toward his bed, his footsteps making a low sound. He watches as Kadaj turns his neck to see him.  
“B-Big Brother,” Kadaj says while sniffing.  
“What did you do this time?” Cloud asks firmly.  
“Huh?”  
“Were you sent in here for fighting?”  
“No. I . . . got upset and came up here.”  
“Whatever.” Cloud goes over to the chair in front of the desk near the beds. He takes a seat. “I talked to –“  
“Why is it you assume I did something?” Kadaj interrupts. “Am I not allowed to have feelings? Or innocence?”  
“Innocence?” Cloud scoffs. “I came here to talk to you about our next steps.”  
“Don't you even care I'm hurting?” Kadaj is even more upset now.  
“Did you care when I was hurting from Geostigma?”   
“That was different!” Kadaj argues, wiping his tears on his sleeve and no longer sobbing. “Things have changed now! We're supposed to be a family now! And you know I'm no longer seeking . . .”  
Cloud looks down sadly. “Do you . . . really want a family, Kadaj?”  
Kadaj slides up on his knees and looks at Cloud with depth in his eyes. “More than anything.”  
Cloud looks at him now, and sees the feeling in his eye not covered by hair. “What were you crying about?”  
Kadaj's heart fills with warmth upon hearing this. He fights a smile as he answers. “You and Tifa hurt my feelings.” He sees that Cloud appears to be listening. “I didn't like it when you wouldn't play with me. And when I went to ask Tifa if I could play outside . . . I asked about Yazoo and she said I'm suited for trash.” Kadaj's lip trembles upon remembering.  
Cloud hesitates, full of thought. “If you really mean what you say, that you want to make amends and have a family, then you're not suited for trash.” Cloud meets his gaze and sees Kadaj is absorbing his words. “How about tomorrow, we take you and your brothers clothes shopping?”  
Kadaj smiles sweetly. He pushes himself off of the bed and walks over to Cloud. He stops in front of him and looks down at him. “Thank you, Big Brother.” He extends his arms again. “Will you give me a hug?”  
Cloud observes him in suspicion. “No. I'm not there yet.”  
Kadaj lowers his arms, but his smile does not dissipate. “What did you come to talk to me about?” He turns and goes back to sit on his bed.  
“I talked to someone today. He said there's rumors of orphans with an interest in the left-over Jenova cells.” Kadaj listens with interest. “I think we should focus on getting more information about that. Hopefully, it'll lead us somewhere.”  
Kadaj thinks intensely for a moment. “A child with Mother's cells . . .” An expression of hurt crosses his face again. “I-I mean . . . Jenova . . .” He sighs and looks down at the floor. He shakes his head. “She chose Sephiroth over me . . .”  
“But Aerith chose you without any kind of obligation.”  
Kadaj looks at Cloud in surprise. His smile returns, though it is smaller.   
“Do you know anything about why children would be interested in having them?”  
Kadaj blinks from the subject change. “No. Not unless they . . .”   
“Unless they what?”  
Kadaj looks serious. “They hear Jenova's voice. And they want to help her.” He pauses. “Maybe they were at the Forgotten City and enjoyed my rally.”  
“Maybe.” Cloud stands now. “If you think of anything else, let me know.” Cloud heads for the door now, and now stops and looks back at Kadaj. “Did Tifa tell you about your chores?”  
“Yeah,” Kadaj says with a smile. “Trash and helping you.”  
Cloud nods before leaving the room. Kadaj's smile grows huge and he silently celebrates after the door shuts.

At ten o'clock at night, Cloud is sitting in the living room chair watching Golden Saucer snowboarding while the three brothers are watching it with him with boredom on the couch. Yazoo yawns as elegantly as possible, getting himself a smirk from Loz. Just as this happens, Tifa walks through the living room with some children from the kitchen.   
“Oh, it looks like it's time for the rest of the children to sleep, too,” she chuckles happily.  
Loz looks over at her with confusion, not understanding.  
“She's talking about you,” Cloud informs.  
“H-huh? Us?!” Kadaj exclaims, offended. “I'm not a ** child **!”  
Tifa, holding Denzel's hand with one hand and Marlene's with the other, gives Kadaj a surprised look. “Well, you kept crying for your mother. And you ** seem ** like a child . . .” She says it in an honest and gentle tone.  
Kadaj gasps with insult. Yazoo yawns again, so Kadaj turns and glares at him as if about to strike.  
“Yeah, I think it's your bedtime,” Cloud observes. “Go on. Go to your room.”  
Loz stands up, but Kadaj crosses his arms and sinks down in his seat. Yazoo, while watching him, stands up as well. Cloud and Tifa turn their gazes to Kadaj with unpleasantness.  
“Come on, Kadaj,” Loz sighs. “We're tired and we don't wanna sleep without you.”  
“I'm not a child,” Kadaj pouts.  
Cloud and Tifa exchange amused looks. “Okay. Well, I'll take Marlene and Denzel on to bed. I'll be right back.” She departs with the kids for the stairs.   
“Kadaj, I want you to go on to bed,” Cloud tells him firmly.  
“But I want to stay up with you, Big Brother!” Kadaj whines.   
“Sorry, but I'm telling you to go to bed. And I'm not going to tell you again.” He strikes fear into Kadaj with a stern look. He gets larger eyes and a swallow for his words.  
“Let's go,” Loz tells Kadaj again, standing next to the couch.  
“Mmm,” Kadaj replies.   
As Kadaj stands, Yazoo chuckles. “It's fun to see you having to take orders for a change. Big Brother knows what's best for children.”  
Kadaj looks at Yazoo with an appalled look on his face.   
“Let's go on to bed now,” Loz says, trying to refocus what is happening.   
Kadaj looks at Cloud with his mouth still agape from offense, but sees he still has that stern look in his eyes. He turns away and leads his brothers up the stairs instead. He can hear Yazoo giggle again behind him, while unable to see Loz's worried expression.  
Once in the bedroom, Loz flops down on his bed and Yazoo sits on the edge of his. Kadaj closes the door behind them and stands in front of it. Loz notices and watches him from his lying position.  
Kadaj blinks slowly and makes a devious face. “Yazoo,” he begins.  
Yazoo looks over at Kadaj with anxiety, familiar with that tone and expression. He swallows. “Y-yes, Brother?”  
Kadaj takes two steps closer and looks down his nose at him with the mean grin. “Loz and I weren't sleepy at all. We're not children,” he continues. “But you . . .” He points a finger at Yazoo, making his brows move upward, “you had to show weakness and get us sent to bed early!”  
“He's tired, Kadaj,” Loz steps-in. “He didn't mean it.”  
Kadaj glares over at Loz. “Well, it cost me time with Big Brother! And respect! And made us look like babies!” He redirects his glare to Yazoo, his grin gone. “You ruined our image in front of him and Tifa, so you're going to be punished.”  
Yazoo begins clutches the covers lying behind him as he looks up at Kadaj. His eyes well up with tears and he struggles to keep his lips from quivering. “I . . . I'm sorry, K-Kadaj . . .”

Eight minutes later, there is a knock on the bedroom door. It comes open, and someone steps inside of the room. Loz turns his head to see it is Cloud. “I just wanted to see if any of you needed anything, since I rushed you out like that. Water? A book to read?”  
“We're fine, Big Brother,” Loz assures.  
Cloud hears muffled sobbing, so he looks at the larger bed to see Kadaj relaxing on the right side of the bed and Yazoo turned away towards the wall while curled up and his face hidden in his arms. Cloud looks from Loz, Kadaj, and back to Yazoo. “Why is he crying?”  
“He's just . . . ,” Loz begins sadly.  
“Missing Mother,” Kadaj finishes, lying. “We all just want a mother to love us.”  
“You'll have Aerith soon enough,” Cloud says with disgust, turning away for the door.  
“It's not the same . . . ,” Kadaj says bitterly.  
Cloud turns his attention to Kadaj. “You're ungrateful?”  
“No,” Loz tells him. “We know Mother wanted Sephiroth more . . . th-than . . .” Loz stops his sentence, beginning to cry.  
“Whatever. Just get some sleep.” Cloud exits the room and closes the door.  
With the talking stopped, Yazoo's crying seems louder. Kadaj grins and Loz huffs.   
“Yazoo, can you keep it down? I can't sleep with that,” Loz tells him with annoyance.   
“I-it h-h-hurts!” Yazoo cries.  
Loz huffs again. “Kadaj, could you at least turn out the light?”  
Kadaj gets off the bed and turns the light off, leaving the room very dark.   
“Hey, you know I need a night light on!” Loz fusses.   
Kadaj turns the light back on. He walks over to the desk and begins searching through the drawers. The top left drawer contains rubber bands and paper, the next drawer has dust, and the third drawer has a plug-in night light. Kadaj smiles and grabs it from the desk. He glances around the room to find a wall plug, and sees one on the other side of the room past Loz's bed. He sticks it in and it illuminates, so he turns out the overhead light and goes back to his bed with Yazoo. He lies down on his side, facing him, and strokes his hand down his arm, making Yazoo recoil a little.   
“If you cause trouble for me with Big Brother again, it'll hurt worse next time,” Kadaj threatens grimly. He sweeps the wet hair from Yazoo's face to behind his shoulder, sending a chill up Yazoo. “Just be good so I can take good care of you.” He turns back on his other side, facing Loz, and closes his eyes, the sounds of Yazoo's weeping filling the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this one isn't very action-packed, but is more emotional and developmental. I hope you liked it! 
> 
> Next chapter: Cloud and Tifa take Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo clothes shopping!


	4. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud and Tifa take the remnants clothes shopping, where a strange encounter occurs!

The next morning, Yazoo flutters his eyes open, greeted with the sun beaming in his face from his position of facing the wall. As he rolls over to see he is the only one in the bed, he moans from pain. He forces himself to sit up on the edge of the bed and look down at the floor, remembering what had happened to him the night before. He combs his fingers through his hair to straighten it a little and notices Loz's bed is empty as well. He stands and glances around to see he is the only person in the room.   
About ten minutes later, Yazoo emerges down the stairs into the living room with his hair neatly combed. As he raises his head to see where he is going in the living room, he sees Kadaj and Loz on the couch together watching a cartoon on television. Yazoo brings his shoulders up a bit defensively as Kadaj gives him a mean grin, and hurries to try to pass them.  
“You overslept, Yazoo,” Loz informs.  
Yazoo stops, having almost made it out of the room.  
“Too bad you missed out on helping with breakfast like Tifa wanted,” Kadaj says threateningly.  
Yazoo turns to look back at Kadaj a bit sadly. “Are they upset with me?”  
“They're in the kitchen,” Loz tells him.  
Yazoo turns away from his brothers and continues onward to his initial destination. As he passes into the mud room, he can hear Cloud and Tifa speaking to one another. He slowly goes into the kitchen and stops as they turn to look at him. He looks over at them with anxiety from the start of the room.   
“I . . . I'm sorry,” Yazoo tells them sadly.  
Tifa looks at Cloud with concern, and now back to Yazoo. “Are you feeling okay? You missed breakfast. And your eyes look a little puffy.” She and Cloud are standing together in front of the refrigerator.  
Yazoo nods. “I'm sorry I overslept and didn't help you.”  
“It's okay. Loz said you had trouble sleeping,” Cloud tells him.  
Yazoo plays with his own fingers a little as he looks down sadly. He thinks for a moment and says, “Big Brother, may I please speak to you alone for a moment?” He looks back up and makes eye contact with him now.  
Cloud returns the eye contact. He looks over to Tifa and back to Yazoo with, “Yeah.” Cloud looks back to Tifa, who walks out of the room.   
Yazoo walks over closer to Cloud. His anxiety has built up and he is still fiddling with his fingers and eyeing the floor. “I . . . I wanted to say . . . that . . .” He brings one of his hands up and begins playing with his hair with it while Cloud looks at him seriously. “That I'm sorry. I'm sorry for shooting you in the back . . . and . . . doing that to you.” He swallows, and now brings his gaze up from the floor to Cloud's eyes again. “I didn't want to die. And I wanted you to go with me if I had to. But . . . it was wrong . . . to do it like that . . . so, I'm sorry.”  
Cloud is surprised by and suspicious of this apology. He stares into Yazoo's frightened eyes to look for sincerity, and he believes he sees it. He observes the nervousness and vulnerability that Yazoo is displaying, and can see that it is genuine. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”  
Yazoo's mouth nearly goes agape from hearing that. He blinks as his heart continues to race. He nods. “Just . . . please. Don't tell Kadaj.” His eyes avert again, this time to one side. He holds the upper arm of his right with his left.  
Cloud continues to observe him with interest. “Deal.”

An hour later, Kadaj is playing with toy motorcycles while lying in the living room floor, and Yazoo is hugging a crying Loz across the room. Tifa walks into the room, causing Kadaj and Yazoo to look.  
“Are you three ready to go?” Tifa questions, taking no notice of Loz's condition.  
Kadaj jumps up from the floor and hurries to Tifa's side. Tifa looks over at the floor where he had been playing and sees toy cars and bikes strewn across the area.   
“Kadaj, please clean up your mess,” she instructs as Loz and Yazoo walk over to her with Loz sniffing.  
Kadaj, without fuss, goes over to his toys and begins cleaning them up. Yazoo goes over to the mess and gets in the floor with him to help.  
“I was thinking,” Cloud begins as he walks into the room from the mud room. Tifa turns to look at him. “They might get recognized and spark trouble if they go out in those outfits. Maybe we should let them look through the donations for the orphans for something to wear shopping.”  
“Yeah. That's a good idea,” Tifa agrees. “Loz, if you want to go ahead, we have a room with clothes in it upstairs. It's the room on the left just before your room.”  
“Okay,” Loz responds. He goes toward the stairs to go look.  
Tifa turns back to Cloud to see him watching Kadaj and Yazoo putting away the toys. He seems fascinated as he sees Kadaj push a car playfully into a pile of other cars that Yazoo is placing into a bin.   
“They're just children,” Tifa tells him quietly so that the brothers cannot hear.  
Cloud stares at them intensely. He watches as they place the last few cars into the bin and stand up eagerly. They walk over to Cloud and Tifa with smiles.  
“Thank you for picking up your mess. And for you helping, Yazoo,” Tifa says to them pleasantly. “Now, let's go up and find you something suitable to wear.”   
Kadaj leads the four up the stairs and down the hallway to the opened door. He hurries in, the sound of his boots causing Loz to look over his shoulder at him entering. He steps into the room and glances around with curiosity.   
“I found a few shirts already that might fit you and Yazoo,” Loz informs while looking through shirts hanging in the closet. “I put them over there on the bench.”  
Kadaj and Yazoo, who has just entered with Cloud and Tifa behind, go to Loz's right to see the shirts on the bench. Kadaj holds one up and makes a curious face. “'ShinRa Inc. Turks are the best' . . . ?” he reads without joy. Yazoo makes an offended look and pushes his hand through it so that it falls back on the bench.   
“There's also pants and other clothes in the dresser,” Tifa informs.   
Yazoo leaves Kadaj with the shirts to go to the dresser next to them. He opens the top drawer and sees socks, so he closes it and goes to the next one. Inside, he sees some pants and begins examining them.   
Loz throws two more shirts on the bench, narrowly missing Kadaj's head.   
“Hey! Watch it!” Kadaj complains.   
Loz closes the closet door, finished. “Hey, I just saved you from all that digging.” He goes over to the bench and helps him sort them.   
Kadaj picks up a black shirt up that has a picture of a cactuar on it and holds it up to himself. “Do you think this will fit me?” he asks Cloud and Tifa.  
“Probably, but you'll need to try it on,” Tifa replies.  
The three silver-haired remnants rummage through the clothing until they all find a few pieces to try on. They walk together into their bedroom and close the door. Cloud and Tifa wait outside with Cloud leaning against the wall.  
“Uhh . . . too tight,” Loz whines, struggling to get a shirt to pull over his muscular chest.   
“Then try another!” Kadaj fusses, shirtless and trying to pull a pair of pants over his wide hips. “Ugh!”  
“This was the biggest one.”  
Kadaj pulls very hard at the pants, but cannot get them to go over his hips. He mutters something unpleasant under his breath and kicks them off. He grabs a pair of shorts and checks to make sure the size is bigger, and now begins putting them on. Unfortunately, he has the same issue.  
Loz and Yazoo notice Kadaj's dilemma and giggle. Yazoo is successfully wearing a fitted, light green shirt with black pants. Loz is still shirtless, but has on dark blue jeans that are a bit distressed.   
“Need some help, Kadaj?” Yazoo teases.  
Kadaj blushes. “Shut up!” He grabs the last pair of pants from his pile – a pair of black stretch pants, and pulls them on. Thanks to the stretch, they fit him up to his waist. He pulls his cactuar shirt down over them and makes an uncomfortable face.  
Yazoo opens the bed room door with a smile.  
“All dressed?” Cloud asks.   
“Uhh . . . I can't find a shirt that fits,” Loz confesses, still shirtless. He looks at Kadaj now and grins meanly. “And Kadaj is having issues.”  
“Just wear the shirt you already had. It shouldn't be too obvious with different pants,” Cloud tells him. He now looks at Kadaj. “What's the issue?”  
“He's too plump to fit in anything but stretch pants,” Loz teases.   
Kadaj blushes immensely and makes his hands into fists. “I am ** not ** going out in stretch pants! I'm wearing my old pants!”   
“Whatever. Just hurry up to we can go,” Cloud tells them, uninterested. 

Moments later, the five go out and to Tifa's red car. Kadaj and Yazoo go toward the passenger's side on the left while Loz heads toward the driver's side. As Kadaj opens the back door, he sees a booster seat strapped in the middle spot, so he leans back out of the car.  
“Big Brother! There's something taking up my seat!” Kadaj calls to him.  
“Oh!” Tifa responds, hurrying toward him. “That's Marlene's car seat.”  
“We don't have time to bother with taking it out. You'll just have to sit in it, Kadaj,” Cloud says.  
“Are we in a hurry?” Loz questions.  
“Chocobo racing starts at 5. I don't want to miss it on TV.” Cloud pauses. “Kadaj, get in. You could use a booster seat anyway.”  
Kadaj's blush returns. Kadaj now looks at Yazoo and says, “You sit in it!”   
“Kadaj, let's go. Or you'll have to wear those stretch pants tomorrow.”  
Kadaj gets in the booster seat and his brothers sit on both sides of him. Yazoo is giggling and Loz is chuckling as everyone fastens their seat belts. Cloud starts the car and puts his sunglasses on. 

Fifteen minutes later, the group is in the local department store. Together, they walk to the men's clothing department and over to the clearance racks. Cloud stops and turns to see the trio.  
“We don't have a lot of money to spend on you three, so you'll have to go cheap,” Cloud informs them.   
“We can get you more stuff later,” Tifa adds.   
“Okay,” Loz answers.   
“As long as I look good,” Kadaj mumbles, turning to start looking through a rack of shirts.   
Loz looks on the rack next to where Kadaj is, looking at larger-sized shirts. Yazoo is looking at a pant rack next to them with a disappointed look on his face. He looks over to Tifa questioningly.   
“What's wrong?” she asks him.  
“I don't see any skirts or dresses here,” Yazoo replies.  
Cloud gets an uncomfortable look on his face and Tifa looks surprised. “Oh. Those are going to be over there,” she says, pointing over to the women's department across the walkway. “Is that what you're wanting?”  
“Pants are okay, but I prefer a dress.”  
“Okay. Well, I can take you over there when you finish over here.”  
Yazoo nods, looking happier.

A while later, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are trying on clothes in the dressing room while Cloud and Tifa are chatting out in the clothing department just outside of the rooms.   
“There's no way we can afford to keep taking care of them. They eat a lot and run up the bills, too. They're going to have to find jobs somehow,” Cloud adds.   
Tifa sighs. “Depending on how Yazoo keeps doing in the kitchen, I would consider letting him work in the bar with me, but . . .” Cloud looks at her as if he just remembered something. “I don't see Kadaj being hireable at all, considering how he behaves. And Loz . . .”  
“Would be the easiest to find work for,” Cloud finishes. “He can lift anything. He could be put in a back room and do loading.” Cloud's tone changes. “Tifa, speaking of Yazoo,” he begins. This leads her to look at him with curiosity. “He . . . ** apologized ** to me this morning.”  
“He did?” she asks breathlessly.  
“Yeah. For shooting me in the back like that. And . . . I think he really meant it.” Cloud's head drops with the last sentence. He feels Tifa's eyes staring at him silently.   
Before Tifa can say anything else, Kadaj walks out from the dressing room with a black t-shirt with a command materia on it and in black denim pants. “Umm . . . , Big Brother,” Kadaj says as Cloud and Tifa turn to look at him. “These pants fit, but they're way too long on me.”  
“Oh, they can be rolled up. Or hemmed,” Tifa assures. She squats down and rolls one of the legs up to wear it sits properly on top of his boot. She stands back up and looks at her work with satisfaction. “See?”  
Kadaj smiles. “Okay.” He goes back to the dressing room.   
“No 'thank you'?” Cloud asks, though Kadaj is unable to hear.   
Tifa shakes her head. “It seems no one has taught ** him ** any manners.”  
Loz comes out with two shirts and two pairs of pants in his arms. “I'm done,” he tells them.   
“Good,” Cloud replies. He sees watches as Loz places the clothing in their cart and turns to look around. “Just stay where we can see you.”  
Loz walks over to a wooden display of men's underwear just past the clothing racks by the dressing room. He sees the multi-packs and wonders if they should get some for himself and his brothers, but his thought is interrupted by him seeing movement to his right. When he looks, he sees a child with short, silver hair wearing a black cap and dark green outfit walk past him. Loz gazes at him in disbelief. As he stares, the child gives him a quick glance, revealing he as the same eyes as he and his brothers. He quickly walks onward.  
“Loz, will you please go check on Yazoo?” Tifa requests, having not noticed what has Loz's attention captured. “He hasn't come out at all, so I just wanted to make sure he's okay in there.”  
Loz does not respond. His skin is clammy, his face wrinkled with anger, his eyes welling up with tears, and his body trembling. He continues staring at the child as he slowly goes out of his view.  
“Loz?” Tifa asks with a bit of worry in her voice.  
Loz shakes his head as if trying to shake the feeling off of him like water. “Y . . . yeah.” He turns toward Tifa and Cloud now.  
“Are you alright?” Cloud asks.  
“Uh . . . yeah. Just . . . I thought I saw something.”  
Cloud and Tifa exchange looks. “Saw something?”  
“That kid . . . he had eyes and hair like mine.”  
Cloud makes a face of alarm. “Where?!”  
Loz pointed down the walkway of the store, leading into the children's clothing. Cloud immediately hurries in that direction. Tifa begins to run after him, but stops immediately, realizing she cannot leave the remnants alone. Loz goes over and stands next to Tifa, watching Cloud run through the store.  
Cloud hurries toward the children's wear, glancing around him for a visual of the child that Loz had described. Being in such a hurry, he did not have the chance to ask for a better description, so hoped to spot the hair easily. He continues through the department with people giving him disgusted looks, determined to find the child.   
Still not feeling himself and concerned for his brothers, Loz goes back into the dressing room. He hears panting coming from the last stall, which is where Yazoo was. “Hey!” Loz calls, trying to push the locked door open. “Yazoo?” There is no answer and no sound of motion, so Loz kicks the door, breaking it open with ease. He looks to the right to see Kadaj and Yazoo hugging one another on the seat, looking terrified. He begins to cry as he goes over to them. He leans over and hugs around both of them.  
“Wh-what happened?” Kadaj says, trembling and nearly in tears as his heart races.  
“I . . . I saw a k-kid . . .” Loz breathes shakily through the angry feeling. “He . . . looked like us.”  
“Mmm,” Yazoo says, and now giggles.  
“I . . . I feel . . . so scared!” Kadaj pants. “What's ** wrong ** with me?” He shakes his head in the small space between his brothers.  
Loz lets go of Yazoo and hugs Kadaj fully. He strokes his back gently as he feels his body trembling. “It's okay, Kadaj.” He pauses. “I just feel . . . sick. Angry. ** Weird **.”  
Yazoo begins cackling as his body goes limp against the wall. Loz looks over at him with worry, so he lets go of Kadaj and takes Yazoo by the shoulders. “Hey, Yazoo!” He shakes him a bit roughly. “Snap out of it!”  
Yazoo continues laughing while the sound of someone going in another stall is heard in the background. “I can't wait to play with those Turks!”   
“Hold me, Loz,” Kadaj mumbles pitifully as he stands up and hugs Loz from behind.  
“Uhh . . .” Loz says, his hands slipping from Yazoo's thin shoulders and his head dropping. “I think I'm gonna puke . . .”

A few minutes later, Cloud returns to the area and goes up to Tifa, seeing that she is now alone. “I couldn't find him,” he tells her seriously. “I looked everywhere.”  
Tifa shakes her head. “I don't understand it . . . I guess Loz just hallucinated it?” She looks at Cloud now. “He is going through a lot of change.”   
“Where is he?”  
“He went back in the dressing room with his brothers.”  
Cloud walks in and looks at each door he passes, but each one is open and empty. When he reaches the last one, he goes inside and sees all three remnants in an alarming state. Loz throwing up in the left corner of the room, Kadaj is curled in a fetal position under the seat while whining, and Yazoo is sprawled out on the seat happily. “What . . . happened in here?” Cloud asks with surprise.  
“B-Big Brother . . .,” Kadaj whimpers.   
Cloud goes over to the seat, giving Yazoo a confused look as he giggles at him, and crouches down to see the scared youngest brother. “What happened in here?” he asks with concern.  
“I think . . . it was that kid Loz saw,” Kadaj says while still trembling.   
“I couldn't find him anywhere.”  
“We . . . can feel it . . .”  
“ . . . Feel it?”  
Kadaj nods. “Mother's cells.”  
Cloud gives him a look of alarm in response.  
Yazoo giggles again. “Touch me, Charlie!”  
A look of disgust is given to Yazoo from Cloud. He looks back down to Kadaj. “Come on. Let's get your stuff and go home.” He gets a hold of Kadaj's trembling arm and pulls him gently out of the floor and to his feet. Kadaj wraps his arms loosely around Cloud for comfort. Cloud now gets a hold of Yazoo's arm.  
“Mmmm,” Yazoo hums sweetly.  
“Stop it, Yazoo!” Loz scolds, turning away from his corner. He stumbles to his feet and takes Yazoo's arm from Cloud. “I'll take care of Yazoo.” He wipes a random tear from his eye.  
Cloud nods and walks out of the room with Kadaj hanging on him while Loz follows him out while pulling a giddy Yazoo. As the four walk out, Tifa turns and her expression of concern goes to one of freaked-out. “What happ-” Tifa begins.  
“I'll go get their stuff,” Cloud interrupts. He pulls Kadaj off of him, so Kadaj clings to Loz. Tifa watches the trio and blinks.

Later, the group pulls into the drive way and Cloud turns off the car. He looks into the rear mirror to see the three silver-haired brothers in the back seat. Loz looks less nauseous and angry than before, and has a hand on Kadaj's arm to comfort him. Kadaj has his head leaning back to try to soothe his anxiety in the booster seat moreso. Yazoo is asleep against the door, looking serene now. Cloud, Tifa, and Loz exit the vehicle.  
“I'll get Yazoo,” Loz informs Cloud.  
Cloud nods and goes around to the other side of the vehicle so he and Loz exchange places. Cloud opens the passenger backseat door and unsecures Kadaj's safety buckle on the car seat, and helps pull him out of it. He notice he is no longer trembling, but still looks anxious. Standing outside of the vehicle now, Kadaj stares downcast with discomfort.  
On the other side of the car, Loz carefully opens the door and catches Yazoo as his upper body falls out. With Yazoo's head resting against Loz's torso, Loz unbuckles him and lifts him bridal-style out of the car. Yazoo moans from the movement, yet resumes his steady breathing afterward. 

Once inside, Loz carries Yazoo up the stairs while Cloud, Tifa, and Kadaj bring in the bags from the store and set them in the living room floor. Kadaj flops down on the couch and leans his head back with a sigh. Cloud sits in his chair and Tifa on the love seat across from Kadaj.  
“What happened back there?” Cloud asks Kadaj.  
Kadaj hesitates. “I don't know.”  
“Loz said he saw a child. That made all of you sick?”  
“It seems that way.”  
“And Loz is the only one who saw him? What happened to you and Yazoo?”  
“I don't know!” Kadaj cries, frustrated and tired. “I just . . . ** felt ** something! Something scary! And I could hear Yazoo laughing at the same time I started feeling afraid!”  
“Loz didn't imagine it, then,” Tifa confirms. “But what does this mean?”  
“I don't know. I'm going to have to keep looking,” Cloud answers.

Upstairs, Loz sets Yazoo in the larger bed gently and watches him stir awake.   
“Mmm, Loz?” Yazoo mumbles with his eyes still closed.  
“Are you okay now, Yazoo?” Loz asks with concern.  
“Mmm hmm.”  
Loz looks at him with distrust and sees his eyes open. “Yazoo?”  
“Yes, Brother. I'm okay,” Yazoo smiles up at him. Loz lets out a sigh of relief. “Loz, what happened?”  
Loz hesitates. “I'm not sure. We'll talk about it later, okay? Just make sure you're feeling okay.”  
“I already said I do.” He sits up with a hint of irritation.  
“Yeah, well, I don't want you to act out again so that Kadaj makes me punish you again.”  
Yazoo goes quiet while looking down at the covers with shame.   
“I'm going to check on Kadaj now. Just stay up here and rest. We'll come get you when we're ready.” Loz starts for the door now.  
“But!” Yazoo protests. He watches as Loz leaves and closes the door behind himself. He lays back down sadly and pouts. “I'm lonely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually my least fave chapter that I've written so far (I'm on 10), but at least there's a bigger move in the plot with this one. 
> 
> The next two chapters are my faves so far, so I hope you'll like them, too!   
Please read and review!
> 
> Next chapter: Does Cloud find a way to make the remants behave? And will his attitude toward them thaw?


	5. Domestication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remnants just can't seem to behave. And Denzel is not helping the situation. But can Cloud be understanding?

A few days later, Tifa is in the kitchen drying dishes by the sink. Cloud walks in from outside, slightly dirty from trying to chase Marlene away from a stray chocobo. Cloud sighs and asks, “So, how's your morning so far?”  
Tifa lets out an aggravated huff and lowers the dish in her hands. “Trying to get Yazoo in here to help me is like trying to take back stolen materia from Yuffie.”  
Cloud's expression turns serious. “Is he really that lazy?”  
“Yeah. He knows it's his chore to help me in here, but I've had to fuss at him all morning and all I got from him was setting the table.” Tifa shakes her head. “And Kadaj . . .”  
“What has he done this time?”  
Tifa sets the dish and towel on the counter to turn and look at Cloud. “Just . . . everything! He's such an unappreciative brat!” She sees Cloud's expression turn to one of concern. “You should have seen him at breakfast this morning. He complained about the way I cooked the eggs! Complained about the jelly options! Then, I reminded him today is trash day, and he just said 'whatever'! And now, he's playing toys again instead of helping with laundry or anything!”  
“How could someone like that be a leader?” Cloud says with disbelief. “I sure wouldn't want to listen to my little brother if he acted like that.”  
“I think it's time to discuss punishments.” Just after finishes the sentence, Tifa makes a face of realization. “Cloud, why don't we just ask Kadaj about it?”  
“Hmm?” Cloud asks, not understanding.   
“He was his brothers' leader, right? He probably knows what kinds of punishments would be effective for them, and we could assume it might work on him, too. It would keep us from having to guess as much.”  
Cloud thinks for a moment and decides he likes the idea. “Mmm.”  
Cloud walks out of the kitchen and into the living room, where he sees Loz sitting on the couch lifting a dumbbell with one hand and Kadaj and Yazoo playing with toys in the floor.   
Kadaj smiles as he looks over his shoulder to see Cloud walk into the room. “Big Brother! You're home from your deliveries?!”  
“Yazoo, please go in the kitchen and help Tifa,” Cloud orders, ignoring the youngest remnant.   
Yazoo looks up to him and blinks. “But, Big Brother, I'm playing with Kadaj.”  
“Go,” Cloud says more firmly.  
Yazoo sighs and pushes himself out of the floor. He exits into the kitchen unhappily.  
Kadaj shoots Cloud an expression of curiosity. He gets to his feet and takes a seat next to Loz. “He doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about his chores,” he informs with a smile.  
“That's what I wanted to talk to you about,” Cloud tells him. “Kadaj, you're the leader of your brothers. Did you ever . . .** discipline ** them? How did you get them to obey you?”  
Kadaj grins and his eyes spark with interest and pride. “Of course! Look at these two I have to put up with. Lazy Yazoo and stupid Loz.”  
“Hey!” Loz complains, holding the dumbbell still now.   
“What did you do as punishment for them?” Cloud questions.  
“Well, Loz is easy. Just yell at him and he caves,” Kadaj shrugs with closed eyes. “Yazoo, on the other hand . . .” He looks over toward the kitchen with an evil grin. “Well, he needs a lot of discipline, and it took some experimenting from me and Loz to figure out what worked for him. He shrugs off scolding, isn't particularly worried about chores . . . but one things really works.”  
Suddenly, Yazoo enters the doorway with a laundry basket full of towels, and Cloud fails to notice.   
“Which is?” Cloud asks.  
Kadaj sees Yazoo in the doorway and grins at him meanly. “All Yazoo needs to behave is a good spanking.”  
Yazoo stops in the entrance of the room with his usual, cool expression. He feels Cloud's eyes on him, so he looks to see his questioning expression.   
“Then, he'll know whose boss,” Kadaj finishes.   
“Don't cry, Yazoo,” Loz teases.   
Yazoo sighs. “Please. Stop wasting Big Brother's time with your silly stories.”  
“Silly stories?” Kadaj chuckles. “Don't tell me you forgot your spanking.”  
Yazoo maintains his composure except for a faint blush coming to his cheeks. He looks to Cloud. “Kadaj has never spanked me.” He continues through the room with the laundry basket.  
“I never said I did.”  
Yazoo pauses and gazes at his younger brother for a moment with a bit of irritation. “I have laundry to do. I don't have time for your games.” He disappears into the laundry room.  
Cloud looks at Kadaj now with annoyance. “So you're just guessing.”  
“No. I had Loz do it for me,” Kadaj smiles while shrugging.   
Loz gives a big grin as Cloud looks at him with unease. “Yeah. If he disobeys Kadaj, that's like disobeying Mother. We had to try something, and that worked.”  
“Yazoo isn't bothered by much except pain and humiliation.”  
“I'll keep that in mind,” Cloud responds. “And what about you?” Cloud inquires.  
“What about me?”  
“What punishment works on you?”  
Kadaj's smile melts and he passes a look of offense to Cloud. “My brothers don't punish me.”  
“But I will.” He gives Loz a glance, and now looks to see Kadaj scowl. He hears Tifa walk into the room and watches as she takes a seat on the love seat. “Your behavior is awful. Tifa and I agree it's time for you to be punished.”  
Kadaj gasps, appalled. “Wh . . . what?!”   
“Loz, what would you do for Kadaj's punishment?” Tifa asks him.  
Kadaj scoffs. “I haven't even done anything wrong!”  
“You're talking out of turn,” Cloud informs strictly. “Tifa asked for your brother to speak.”  
Loz grins, enjoying the way Kadaj is gaping at his treatment. “I'd make him do whatever I say. Or give him a beating.”  
“I guess I'll just have to try until something works.”  
Kadaj shakes his head, looking desperate. “But . . . I haven't done anything! Why are all of you attacking me like this?!”  
“Haven't done anything? That's not what Tifa says.”  
“Well, she's ** lying **!”  
Cloud gives a look of fury to Kadaj, making him look afraid.   
“Really?! You insulted the food you were given and showed no appreciation at all! You won't offer to help and you won't even do what you know you're supposed to be doing!”  
“Then, thanks for the under-cooked eggs, the gross toast, and no thank you to washing dishes!”  
“Whoa!” a new voice exclaims from the doorway. Everyone looks to see Barrett entering the room. “Sounds like someone needs their ass busted!” He receives a glare from Kadaj as he walks into the room and stands next to the love seat. “This brat is livin' here where my Marlene plays?! You can't let this go on!”  
“We're not. We're here to decide on a punishment for him,” Tifa answers, staring Kadaj in the eyes.  
“If you want to live here, you're going to have to abide by the rules. So either take this punishment we're going to give you and start behaving, or we're taking you to ShinRa for them to deal with,” Cloud tells Kadaj firmly.  
Kadaj feels defeated by the three angry faces staring over at him. He looks like he is about to cry as he looks among them. He shrinks a bit in his seat as he decides to look at Cloud. “I . . . I'm sorry I upset you, Big Brother!” he whines. He leans over and gazes at his own knees now.  
“That's a good start,” Cloud informs.   
Loz looks over at his baby brother with sympathy. “Kadaj, take your punishment,” Loz whispers to him.  
Kadaj's breathing becomes heavier as he fights tears. “I . . . I'll take my punishment now.”  
Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett observe the hair hanging over Kadaj's entire face. They exchange looks with one another as if silently telling one another that they should proceed.   
“Alright. Yazoo will be doing all of the laundry, but you'll do all the other chores in the house today. You'll do whatever Tifa and I ask of you, too. And no playing toys and no dessert.”  
Kadaj gasps and stares at him with wide eyes. He covers his trembling lip with his left hand. “N . . . no toys or dessert?”  
“Not for the rest of the day. I want you to learn how to behave.”  
“Yer lettin' him off too easy!” Barrett complains. “If my Marlene ever acted like that, which she never would, I'd have her over my knee squawkin'!”  
Kadaj sighs. “Fine. I'll take the punishment . . .”  
“Good. Go ahead and finish washing the dishes,” Cloud orders.  
Kadaj gets up and drags himself sullenly to the kitchen.   
Cloud shakes his head and sighs. Quietly, he says to himself, “I wonder what's wrong with him?”  
“Hmm?” Tifa questions, but gets no response. 

In the laundry room, Yazoo is on his knees, staring at the floor angrily. He listens to the washer fill up with water as he breathes with pain. “It isn't fair . . .” he breathes quietly. His cheeks are red from shame. “Why . . . why can't I ever do what I want?” He bites his lip as he hears the doorknob turn, so he looks up to see who is walking in on him. He sees a light green laundry basket coming into the room being held by Tifa.  
“Sorry, I forgot to bring these for afterward,” Tifa informs, not looking at Yazoo. She sets them in front of the dryer and straightens up. As she looks down and sees Yazoo in the floor, she stops. “What are you doing?”  
Yazoo has his head down so that Tifa cannot see his face. He shakes his head in response.   
“What happened in the living room before I walked in?” She asks with concern. “Are you okay?”  
“Hmph. Kadaj and his attempts to control me.”  
Tifa thinks for a moment, and now crouches down in front of him, prompting him to look up at her with his slightly upset expression. “Kadaj is mean to you, isn't he?”  
He watches her curiously for a moment before answering, surprised to hear her say that. “He and Loz are always telling me what to do.”   
“And you don't like that, do you?” Tifa looks away. “And now, Cloud and I are telling you what to do.”  
“But . . . it's different if it's Big Brother. Or Mother.”  
Tifa looks at him again. “But Loz and Kadaj like to hurt your confidence and feel powerful over you.”  
Yazoo flinches.  
“You need to tell me when they do that,” she finishes. “Kadaj isn't your leader anymore, and he needs to hurry up and learn that he's not in charge.”  
Yazoo smiles softly and nods. He gets back to his feet and lifts the empty laundry basket back in his arms. He goes toward the door.  
“And Kadaj is being punished,” Tifa continues. “He's doing all the other chores today.”  
Yazoo has his hand extended toward the door and holds still, letting the words sink it. “Kadaj is being punished?” He turns back toward her in question.  
“Yes. We'll deal with your brother. Don't worry about it.” She picks up the pink laundry basket Yazoo had carried into the room before. “Here. Don't forget this.”   
Yazoo turns back toward the door to leave. As he passes into the living room, he walks by Loz, who is now standing next to the stairs. He receives a look of concern from his older brother.  
“Yazoo, you okay?” Loz asks as Yazoo passes him.  
“Mmm,” Yazoo answers.  
Loz puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him as he begins to ascend the first step. “Do you need me?”  
“I'm doing the laundry, Loz,” he says with slight irritation again.  
Loz watches as Tifa passes Yazoo going up the stairs, and now looks back at his sad brother. “I just meant because –“  
“Because Kadaj humiliated me in front of Big Brother?”   
“Yeah. And put you in danger of getting a spanking from him or Tifa.”  
Yazoo blushes again and huffs. “What could be worse than that?” he whines, and continues up the stairs with the laundry basket. 

Upstairs in Cloud's office, Cloud is sitting at his desk with a pen and two pieces of paper. There is a knock at the door, pulling him from his work. “Who is it?”  
The door opens, allowing Tifa passage. “Oh. Do you have another delivery today?”  
“No. I was just thinking about where more Jenova cells could be.”  
Tifa tilts her head slightly in curiosity. “Jenova cells? Why?”  
“If that kid Loz saw in the department store is one of the ones Vincent told me about, they're looking for them. I think it might be a good idea to gather them before he gets a hold of them. Considering the effect he had on Kadaj and the others, it could be serious if he gets them all.”  
Tifa is worried now. “Do you think . . . Geostigma will come back?”  
“I don't know. That, or something else. There's never anything good that comes from Jenova or Sephiroth.” Cloud stands from his seat. “I wish I could talk to Kadaj about it, but . . .”  
Tifa hums thoughtfully. “Why don't you try asking Loz or Yazoo? Maybe they would know enough to help?”   
Cloud stands from his chair. “I think I need to go on alone and see if I can find any remains,” he says darkly.  
“No, not alone. I'll go with you,” Tifa asserts. “You shouldn't have to face that alone. At least let me come.”  
Cloud thinks for a moment. “Alright. Then, we'll need to find a babysitter for tomorrow.”  
“And you need to stay in bed tonight to get some rest; I keep hearing you go to the stairs in the middle of the night.”  
Cloud hesitates, and now turns to look at Tifa. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize I woke you.”  
“I'm just . . . worried. Are you okay?”  
“Yeah. But . . . I doubt tonight will be any different.” He stands now and turns his back to Tifa.   
“Cloud, talk to me.”  
Cloud takes a moment to think before speaking. “It started out with me having trouble sleeping with Sephiroth's remnants in the house.” Tifa listens carefully from behind him. “I went down the hall and checked to make sure I had locked their door from the outside. Then, as I was coming back up the hall, I heard crying.”  
“Crying?”   
“Kadaj. In the living room.”  
Tifa is silent. A sadness rushes over her face, imagining the young man crying alone at night. “Why?”  
Cloud turns back toward her and shakes his head. “I don't know.” He takes a deep breath. “It's that way every night.”  
Tifa's concern rises. “Every night? What about his brothers?”  
“I only went in their room once and they were both asleep. But I don't know why Kadaj goes off alone like that.”  
“Have you talked to him about it?” she asks slowly. He shakes his head in response. “So you just stand there and watch him cry?”  
“What can I say to him?”  
With frustration, Tifa says, “How about 'are you okay?' or 'why are you crying?'!”  
“I don't know if he'd like that.”  
“I think he would, coming from you. You're his 'Big Brother', after all,” Tifa chuckles.   
Cloud gives her a smile back. “Okay. If you think so, I'll give it a try.”   
There is a knock on the door, so Cloud and Tifa are jarred from their conversation and look toward it. Cloud approaches it and opens it, seeing Denzel standing on the other side while smiling. Cloud gives him a soft smile.  
“I'm home!” Denzel cheers, a hand on the strap of his shoulder bag.   
“Did you have fun with Marlene at the park?” Cloud asks him.  
“Yeah! We played ** all kinds ** of games! And we can't wait for the new jungle gym to get finished!”  
“Loz and I will try to get that done soon.”  
Denzel's expression goes sour upon hearing this. This earns him a look of concern from Cloud. He can see Cloud crouch down to his height in his peripheral vision.   
“Denzel, they're our guests for now. They won't be here for too long.” He watches Denzel, seeing him look slightly angrier. He puts a hand on his shoulder. “I know you don't like them. They did some really bad things, especially to you. But Aerith wants--”  
“I don't care what Aerith wants!” Denzel furiously cries, now looking straight at Cloud. “What about what ** I ** want?! What about what he did to Tifa?! I don't ** want ** them here!” Denzel rushes out of the room, leaving Cloud to straighten back up slowly while watching him disappear. He looks back at Tifa, who gives him a worried look.   
Denzel stops at the end of the hallway, just outside of the room where the remnants are staying. He seethes with anger and clenches his fists as he stares up at the door, plotting. He remembers how Yazoo had tricked him and the other orphans into going to the Forgotten City, and how upset Marlene was when he didn't trust her and instead did as Kadaj told him. He is pulled from his thoughts as he hears a thud coming from downstairs. He runs to the top of the railing and looks to see the couch flipped over on top of Loz and Kadaj giggling. Frustrated and annoyed, Denzel descends the staircase and gives them a sinister stare.  
Kadaj looks over to see Denzel's angry face. He grins meanly at him as if trying to scare him. This only earns him an even angrier look from Denzel. He hears Loz grunt, so he turns to see him pushing the couch off of him.  
“Uhh, this couch is awfully heavy,” Loz complains, putting it back upright.   
“You complained Yazoo was heavy, too,” Kadaj snaps. “I thought you were lifting weights!”  
“I am, but . . . I don't feel as strong as I used to.”  
Denzel watches them, nearly feeling sick to his stomach. He glances around at the floor and sees candy wrappers lying around, and now notices that there is a candy bar in Kadaj's hand. He looks back at Loz in thought.  
Kadaj sighs.   
With an idea, Denzel exits the scene and goes through the entrance room and to the kitchen. He looks up on the shelf and gets on his tiptoes to reach the candy jar, and successfully pulls it down and into his arms. He places it on the counter and opens it, seeing only a few pieces of candy in there and remembering there being a lot more yesterday. He huffs in annoyance as he pulls out his favorite kind. As he holds it close, another idea flashes in his mind and he grins meanly. He stuffs all of the candy in his pockets carefully and as inconspicuously as he can. He puts the empty jar back on the shelf gently, and goes back through the living room. He tries to ignore Kadaj punching at Loz, hoping to not get their attention.   
“You're not as fast as you used to be, either,” Loz points out to Kadaj.  
“We . . . lost some of our abilities?” Kadaj asks tightly, looking down at his own hands.   
“Yeah. I think so. I guess Yazoo, too.”  
Denzel begins ascending the stairs now while listening, hurrying up the hall and to back to the remnants' room. He quietly opens the door and steps inside. Quickly, he runs over to the desk and puts seven of the candies in a drawer. He turns around, scoping the room, and recognizes Loz's clothes lying on the smaller bed. He goes over to the larger bed, deciding Kadaj and Yazoo must sleep there, and scatters the last four pieces of the candy on the mattress. Quickly and quietly, he leaves the room with his favorite piece in his hand. He goes all the way down the hall and back to Cloud's office to knock on the door.   
The door is opened by Tifa this time, who looks at him curiously. “Yes, Denzel?”  
Denzel pouts as he looks up at her with the candy in his hand. “Tifa, I wanted to ask you if I could have this piece of candy, but it's the only one left!”  
Tifa blinks. “The only one left? But I just filled the jar a few days ago.” Tifa leaves the room behind him with confusion and frustration. She hears Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo talking downstairs, so she goes down the stairs to join them. Tifa goes to the living room and puts her hands on her hips while Denzel stays upstairs. She glances among the three as they stop talking and turn their attention toward her, Yazoo standing with a basket of laundry in the floor next to him.  
“Why is the candy jar already empty?” she asks firmly.  
Loz looks confused while Yazoo looks curious and Kadaj annoyed. “Someone ate it all, I guess,” Kadaj chuckles.  
Tifa shakes her head as she sees the empty wrappers on the floor. “You eat all the candy without permission, and don't even bother to clean it up?” She stares at him angrily. “Well?! Don't just stand there! Throw your garbage away!”  
“Fine!” Kadaj snaps. He bends down and cleans up the mess while Yazoo watches her curiously and Loz looks away nervously.  
“You three should ask before you help yourselves to snacks. Now the kids don't have any. And you should clean up after yourselves without being told.”  
“I didn't take them all! There were some left!” Kadaj argues.  
“Okay. I'll just go take a look.” Tifa walks away and into the kitchen.  
Yazoo sighs and smiles. “You know, Brother, if you didn't eat so much candy, you might be a bit faster.”  
“Oh?!” Kadaj yells, picking up the last wrapper.   
“Please don't fight!” Loz cries.  
“You just didn't lose anything because you didn't have anything in the first place!” Kadaj yells, ignoring Loz.  
Yazoo's face does not change. “Yet I came the closest to beating Big Brother.” He leans over and picks up the laundry basket. “I have chores to do for Tifa.”  
“Hold on a minute!” Tifa orders, returning to the living room.  
Yazoo sets the basket back down and gives her his full attention.  
Tifa steps back over with the trio. “Every bit of that candy is gone! I had that jar ** full ** a few days ago! What do you have to say for yourselves?!”  
“I . . . I'm sorry!” Loz apologizes, beginning to cry. “I should have asked before I ate those two candy bars.”  
Kadaj looks deeply annoyed by Loz before looking at Tifa. “I'm not allowed to play outside, and now I can't even have ** chocolate **?!”  
“Not without asking permission!”  
“Tifa,” Yazoo begins, pulling her gaze from Kadaj to himself. “I got a piece of candy a while ago. There ** were ** several pieces left.”  
Tifa looks back at Kadaj. “So you took them and are hiding them for later,” Tifa decides.  
“Whatever,” Kadaj laughs. “I'm going to load the dishwasher now.” He leaves the room.   
Tifa shakes her head before going back upstairs, passing Denzel, who she knows had been watching. She goes to the remnants' room and instantly sees the bright candy bars strewn across the bed. She growls as she turns to glance around the room. After looking back and forth, she decides to check the desk. After opening a couple of drawers, she finds one full of candy. She turns around and leaves the room so quickly she leave both the drawer and the door wide open and goes back to the living room, where Yazoo and Loz are talking. “Kadaj!” she calls.  
Kadaj can be heard growling from the kitchen, and he quickly appears back in the room.   
“Really? Putting all that candy in your room for yourself?! What's the matter with you?!” she scolds, unbelieving.   
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Kadaj says, his eyes narrow.  
“Then I'll ** show ** you what I'm talking about.” She goes back to the stairs.  
The three brothers follow her while Kadaj lets out a heavy sigh. In a line, the four of them enter the open room at the end of the hall. As they all enter, Tifa points to the candy on the bed.  
“Do you still not know what I'm talking about?!” Tifa exclaims. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo look at the candy in confusion, so she points to the opened drawer now. “And your little hidden stash over here?! You don't know anything about that, either?!”  
Kadaj now glares up at Yazoo. “** You ** did this!” he accuses.  
“What?” Yazoo asks, blinking.  
“You're trying to get me in trouble with Tifa and Big Brother!”  
“Hmph,” Yazoo says with a grin.   
“Uhh, Kadaj? Yazoo's been doing laundry,” Loz informs, confused.  
“Hiding the candy in the clothes and putting it up here is perfect,” Kadaj says confidence.  
“Well, neither of you two are getting any more today! And from now on, you'll have to ask before you get any!” Tifa declares angrily. She is picking the candy bars up from the drawer. “And I'm sure Cloud isn't going to be any more pleased about this than I am! Honestly! You three just can't stop acting like brats, can you?!” She has the candy awkwardly in her arms against her belly as she walks over to the bed. She tries to reach for the bars there, but nearly drops what she has and has to secure them against her again. Yazoo picks them up from the bed and places them on the ones in her grasp, so she leaves the room.  
Kadaj pushes Yazoo in the chest, making him stumble back slightly. “Did you enjoy your little game?” He gets a look lacking amusement from Yazoo.   
“As I told you before, I didn't do it.”  
“Hey,” Loz says from behind.  
Kadaj glances back to him and sees he is looking outside the door. He looks to see what has his attention and sees Denzel running away from their door and up the hall. He growls and looks back at Yazoo.  
“What?” Yazoo asks, unable to see out the door from where he is standing next to the bed.  
“It looks like someone is challenging us,” Kadaj says with a sinister grin.   
“Denzel?” Loz asks.  
“He just framed us, turned me against Yazoo, and took away my candy privileges.”  
Yazoo smiles as he moves to look up the now-empty hall. “Hmm. So, what will we do about it, Kadaj?”  
Kadaj's smile grows. “Oh, he'll learn his lesson. And we'll have a fun time teaching him what happens when he messes with us.”  
Loz chuckles, Yazoo hums, and Kadaj giggles as they all continue staring down the long, dim hallway. 

In Cloud's office, Denzel is sitting at one of the seats, swinging his legs happily while he eats his favorite candy bar. Cloud is turned toward him in his seat while Tifa is standing next to the door, also watching him with a smile.   
“Thank you, Denzel, for trying to tolerate those three. I know this is hard for you,” Tifa tells Denzel.  
“I'm glad you saved the candy, Tifa,” Denzel tells her as he swallows a small bite.   
“And thanks for being good. You're more mature and well-behaved than they are,” Cloud adds.  
Denzel continues to smile as he enjoys the praise and the chocolate. 

It is after three o'clock in the morning. Nearly all of the lights are off in the Strife household, and the sound of chocobos warking can be heard faintly in the distance. Cloud wakes up, as if on-schedule, and gently gets out of his bed. He walks past Tifa's bed and exits the room, carefully trying to control the squeaky door. He begins down the hall and hears the light sound of weeping as he has been for the past several days. He slows his pace as he approaches the top of the stairs and gazes down them, barely seeing Kadaj laying curled up on the couch. He watches him with curiosity and pity, wondering what could be causing this behavior. As he watches, he remembers Tifa encouraging him to speak to him. He watches him, hearing his child-like sobs, trying to get up his nerve to do it. He takes a deep breath and descends the stairs.   
The closer Cloud gets to the couch, the louder the crying becomes. He walks around the side of it where Kadaj's feet are, and continues on until he is fully in front of the couch. He looks down at Kadaj, saying nothing, as Kadaj hears him and pulls his face from his elbows to look at him.   
“Big Brother . . . ,” Kadaj chokes.  
“Kadaj, what's wrong?” he asks gently.  
Kadaj stares up at him, surprised by his caring question. “Nothing that would interest you.”  
“How do you know?”  
“Because . . .”  
“It has to do with Jenova.” Cloud finishes for him.  
Kadaj hides his tearful face again to continue his sobbing.   
Cloud puts a hand on his shoulder. “It's okay. You can tell me.”  
Kadaj pulls his face out of hiding again so that Cloud can see his red, swollen, soaking wet face again. “She . . . she abandoned me . . . after all I did . . . !” he screeches, running his fingers up into his hair. “After everything I did for her!”  
Instead of feeling anger, Cloud feels great pity for the remnant. He crouches in front of him and strokes his arm. “Hey. But someone else ** chose ** you, remember?”  
“But . . . Mother always s-spoke to me! I c-c-can't hear her v-voice anym-more! I'm alone and I don't know wh-what to do anymore!” He is crying so harshly his body is trembling violently and his words are shrill and hard to understand.   
Cloud continues to pet his shoulder with his right hand and begins stroking his hair with his left in an attempt to comfort him. He gets a moan from Kadaj in response. “Kadaj, you don't have to be alone anymore. I'm here. And Tifa's here. And soon, your new mother, Aerith.” He feels Kadaj's body calm down a bit and watches as his huge green eyes stare at him with wonder like a child's. “Don't be afraid.”  
Kadaj suddenly reaches out and grabs Cloud while sitting up a little. He squeezes him tightly while sobbing against his chest. “I ** am ** afraid, Big Brother! Help me!”  
Cloud's arms are limp at first from surprise, and now he brings them up and embraces Kadaj with them. He feels small in his grasp and does not seem at all like the powerful person he fought days ago. “There's nothing to be afraid of. We're all here to take care of you.” He strokes the back of his head with his left hand and his back with his right. ** I'll ** tell you what to do if you get lost.”  
“What if I get abandoned again?!”  
“You won't. Aerith would never do that. To you ** or ** your brothers. And until then, I'm going to help you.”  
“Please hold me, Big Brother!” he squeaks.   
Cloud is not sure whether to feel complimented or weird. He sits on the couch and helps Kadaj climb in his lap sideways. He is squeezed again as Kadaj twists around and buries his face into his chest again. Cloud continues petting him, though his crying is finally weakening. “Kadaj, do you really think of me as your brother?”  
Kadaj looks up at Cloud. “Of course.” Kadaj pauses. “That's why I want you to hold me!” He leans the side of his head against his chest and sniffs. “You make me feel safe. And warm.”  
“What about Loz and Yazoo?”  
Kadaj grins slightly through his tears. “It's not the same! You're special.”   
“Do they know you're suffering like this?”  
“I don't know.” He shakes his head. “But I don't ** want ** them to know.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because . . . I'm the leader. They rely on me to tell them what to do. And right now, I'm lost. Without Mother's voice . . . I don't know what to do. I can't lead them if I don't know what to do.”  
“But wouldn't they understand? They know Jenova left all of you.” He feels Kadaj's head drop more. “Well, now you'll do know what to do. Because I'll be the one to tell you and take care of you. Okay?”  
Kadaj smiles sweetly up at Cloud. “Thank you, Big Brother.”  
Cloud nods. “How about we go back to bed now, okay?” He feels Kadaj tighten his grip around him, so he sighs. He stands while picking up Kadaj in his arms to carry him. “And tomorrow night, I hope I won't see you in here like this again.”  
“Like you have every night?” he sniffs.  
“You knew I was watching?”  
“Yeah. I didn't think you cared.”  
Cloud begins walking with him in his arms, heading toward the stairs. “I didn't. But I do now.” He starts up the stairs with him.   
Kadaj smiles while becoming more limp from sleepiness in Cloud's arms. He cuddles his head against him, feeling comforted and reassured. Finally, he feels like there is hope between him and Cloud's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5!!! The bit with Denzel toward the end was added in kind of last minute, as I had reached ch.9 in rough drafts and realized I still hadn't put in where he is upset with them and explained the remnants have weakened. I hope it doesn't seem to out-of-place the way I had to scoot it in. I hope you like it!
> 
> Next chapter: Cid and Barret babysit the remnants!


	6. Laundry Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cid and Barrett are tasked with babysitting the remnants while Cloud and Tifa are on a short mission. Will Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo behave for the two heroes, or are they going to make their job difficult?

The next morning, the family is having breakfast. Clockwise around the table sits Cloud, Denzel, Tifa, Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj around the rectangle, with Cloud and Loz at the ends. Everyone is happily eating the bacon, eggs, toast, and hashbrowns Tifa cooked except Kadaj.   
“Mmm! This new apricot jelly is really good! Especially on these scrambled eggs!” Denzel says happily.   
“No it isn't,” Kadaj growls, moving his food around in his plate with his fork. This earns him a frightened look from Denzel straight across from him.  
“Would you like to cook your own food from now on, Kadaj?” Cloud questions.  
Kadaj pouts. “No.”  
“Then stop complaining about it. Tifa worked hard on this food.”  
“I think it's very good,” Yazoo speaks-up.  
“Thank you,” Tifa smiles at him.  
Kadaj crosses his arms and glares at Yazoo.  
“Anyway, Tifa and I will be leaving soon,” Cloud begins. He gets a look of interest from the three remnants. “We expect you to be on your best behavior and follow all the rules.”  
“We'll be home alone?” Loz asks.  
“No, Barrett and Cid are going to babysit,” Tifa answers.  
“Barrett . . . that big guy who was here yesterday?” Kadaj asks with annoyance.  
“Yes. And neither of them are going to put up with your attitude or any antics any of you try,” Cloud tells him seriously. “They have permission to punish you and they'll let us know if there were any problems. And you'll do whatever they tell you to do.”  
Yazoo puts his head down with dread while Loz huffs and Kadaj growls.   
“And if you aren't good, we'll ask Reno and Rude next time,” Tifa adds.  
Yazoo and Loz's eyes spark with passion. They both chuckle evilly as they reflect on their battle with the Turks. Kadaj looks at them questioningly.  
“What's so funny about them?” Kadaj asks.  
“They're pathetic,” Yazoo smiles.  
“And mean!” Loz complains.  
“Well, for today, it's Barrett and Cid,” Cloud reminds. 

An hour later, the three remnants are seated on the couch while Cloud and Tifa discuss the rules and expectations with Barrett and Cid. Marlene is holding Barrett's hand, excited that she gets to play over with the other children with her dad being there. Tifa can be heard reminding Cid to not smoke in the house.   
“Ugh! We don't need babysitters. We're not ** babies **! Kadaj complains, crossing his arms while in the middle seat of the couch. “Why can't Big Brother trust us on our own?”  
Cloud and Tifa leave, so Barrett and Cid turn around toward the silver-haired trio. Barrett scowls while Cid gives a mean smile. They walk up closer to them.  
“Well, Cloud says fer ya boys to be startin' on yer chores,” Cid informs them. “Yazoo on laundry and dishes, and Kadaj and Loz on cleanin' the bathrooms.”  
Kadaj and Loz exchange amused looks, and now look up at Cid. “Cleaning the bathrooms?” Kadaj snickers. “That's not our chores!”  
“Well, that's what Cloud told us ta have ya do. He wants ya all to stay busy ta keep ya outta trouble.”  
Kadaj sinks down it the seat defiantly with his arms still crossed and a grin on his face. “Well, unless Big Brother comes in here himself and tells me to do it, I'm not going to.”  
Barrett laughs. “Cloud told you to do what we say! So yer gonna do it or be punished!”  
Kadaj grimaces at Barrett. “Fine!” He sits up in his seat and unfolds his arms. “Let's go, Loz.”  
Loz looks at him with surprise, not expecting him to give in so easily. He smiles now, relieved. “Yeah. We'll make Big Brother proud.”  
Kadaj leads Loz to the staircase while Yazoo stays in his seat, gazing down at the carpet.   
“Well, that laundry ain't gonna do itself,” Cid informs. “I'm assumin' yer Yazoo.”  
“Mmm,” Yazoo replies, a bit sadly. He still does not get up.  
“You can't do it sittin' down,” Barrett tells him. “Git up and go do it.”  
“I . . . don't feel well,” Yazoo says, staring down at the carpet.  
Kadaj and Loz hear this, so they stop midway on the stairs and look down at their brother. They see he has a hand on the side of his head. Worried, they turn and begin going back down the stairs.  
“Where do you think your goin'?” Barrett asks Loz and Kadaj.  
Kadaj stands behind Yazoo and puts a hand on his shoulder while Loz stands next to the arm of the chair he is slightly leaning on and strokes his hand. “Yazoo? Are you okay?” Loz asks with great worry.  
“Do you need to lay down?” Kadaj asks, unusually considerate. “Is it your . . . ?”  
Yazoo nods weakly.  
“Oh, no you don't!” Barrett yells. “No gettin' outta your chores! Now, go do that laundry!”  
Yazoo gives him a look of sorrow. Loz gives him one of hurt and Kadaj a look of anger. Barrett and Cid hold their stern looks toward them.  
“Yazoo isn't feeling well,” Kadaj tells them tensely.   
“No, it's . . . it's okay,” Yazoo tells Kadaj. Kadaj's face softens as he looks down at him. “I'll at least start the laundry.” Yazoo gets up from his seat and has his arm grabbed gently by Loz. The three brothers walk up the stairs together.   
“Hmph. Already up ta their shenanigans,” Cid scoffs.   
“Cloud really does have his hands full,” Barrett growls.   
“Daddy,” Marlene says, getting his attention. “Will you please play with me?”  
Barrett's expression changes instantly to one of sweetness. “Of course, baby doll!”

Several minutes later, Yazoo is carrying a blue laundry basket down the hallway. At the end of the hall outside of Cloud and Tifa's room, he stops and sets it on the floor. As he reaches a hand out to open the lid of the gray laundry hamper, he moans and grabs his head with one hand again. He takes a deep breath and brings him arm back toward the hamper, only to begin feeling disoriented. He moans again and takes a step back to lean against the wall. He blinks a few times and his breathing becomes a bit ragged. After a moment, he staggers back to his feet and glances around himself. He goes to Cloud's door and opens it, which is strictly forbidden. Still disoriented, he looks in horror as his view goes down to the carpet in the room, differing from the wood in the hallway. Giddily, he gets on his knees and begins ripping at it with his hands.

“I think I should check on Yazoo,” Loz sighs, scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush.  
Kadaj groans as he is on his hands and knees in the bathtub, rubbing at a blood stain as hard as possible. “Y-yeah . . .”  
Loz gets up and walks out of the room, heading down the hallway. Immediately, he sees Yazoo's butt upturned toward him as he is on all fours in Cloud's room. Confused, he walks over to him.   
“Yazoo, we're not allowed to go in Big Brother's room!” he whispers.   
“Uh! I'm trying to get these monsters out of here!” Yazoo says in a panic, still ripping at the carpet.  
Loz gets as close to Yazoo as he can and looks over him, seeing what he is doing. He gasps again and grabs him around the waist, ripping him away from his task. “Yazoo!” he yells in a whispered voice, pulling Yazoo's back against his chest.  
“L-Loz! I have to!” Yazoo says while squirming.  
“No! Bad Yazoo!”   
Yazoo gasps, feeling hurt. “But! I have to protect everyone!” He elbows Loz in the ribs as he tries to get out of his grasp.  
“Stop it, Yazoo!” Loz bends Yazoo over a little and slaps him across his buttocks four times. “Snap out of it!” He brings his hand back again to strike, but hears Yazoo whimper. He stops and turns Yazoo around a little to see his face. He sees his eyes do not look as crazed and his lips are pouting.  
“You hit me . . . ,” Yazoo says, nearly crying.   
“Calm down, Yazzy.” Loz pulls Yazoo's back against him again and hugs him sweetly while resting his head on his shoulder. “Don't cry. It's okay. I'm here and I'm gonna take care of you.”  
“Did I . . . ?,” Yazoo asks worriedly.  
Loz sighs. “Yeah. You had another episode. I'm taking you to bed now.”  
Yazoo winces painfully and lifts up his hands to look at them. His fingers and palms are burned and sliced from ripping relentlessly at the carpet. There is some blood on his hands from the cuts. He pouts again as he sees the awful sight.  
“Oh, Yazoo . . . ,” Loz cries, tears falling from his eyes. He turns Yazoo around gently and takes a grip on his arm while guiding him down the hallway. As he passes the open bathroom door, he calls to Kadaj. “Kadaj, he hurt himself again.”  
Kadaj turns his head quickly with worry from the inside of the bathtub.   
“He had an episode, just like we thought. I'm taking him to bed,” Loz finishes.  
Kadaj makes a pitiful face and his heart races while he thinks about Loz's words.   
Loz gets Yazoo to their room at the opposite end of the hallway and puts him in bed. He strokes the hair out of his eyes and pets his face. He weeps gently at his younger brother in this state.  
“Loz, what did I do?” Yazoo asks weakly.  
Loz shakes his head. “You were attacking Big Brother's carpet. I'll have to go see how bad it is. But from the look of your hands . . .”  
Yazoo closes his eyes with despair. “I am in so much trouble.”  
Loz sniffs his tears away. “No. Kadaj will come up with something. Don't worry about it. Just rest and feel better.”  
“Loz, can you get me something for my hands, please?” He holds his red hands up again.   
Loz takes them gently in his and kisses both palms of them like a mother would her child. “Uh huh.” He releases his hands and places a kiss on Yazoo's forehead. “I'll be right back. Stay here in bed.” He turns to leave the room.  
In the hallway, Kadaj is staring in panic at the damage done to Cloud's carpet. Inches of carpet in the entry way are bald or greatly damaged, revealing the white net base. He puts his hands on the sides of his head with stress while staring at it. He shakes his head. “How . . . am I going to fix this?”  
“Kadaj?” Loz asks as he walks up behind him.  
Kadaj brings his hands down and turns toward Loz. “How is he?”  
“Uh, he hurt his hands. I've gotta find something for him. But his head is feeling better now.”  
Kadaj exhales roughly. “I don't know what to do about the carpet. He really tore it up.” He looks back at it with Loz looking as well.  
“Maybe . . . put a rug over it?”  
“Loz, we're not supposed to even open his door! How would we explain a new rug in there?!” He takes the doorknob and closes the door quietly. He shakes his head as he turns back toward his oldest brother.   
“Well, I have to go find something for his hands.” Loz pauses now. “Uhh . . . where would that be?”  
Kadaj turns to the door adjacent Cloud's bedroom and turns the doorknob. It will not open. “It's locked . . .”   
“Big Brother's office?”  
“I know he has a first aid kit in there. But I can't get in.” Kadaj turns back around. “I'm going to have to ask our babysitters . . .”

“What?! Hurt 'imself doin' laundry?!” Cid says in disbelief.   
“He was dizzy from his head hurting,” Kadaj tells him.  
Cid and Barrett gaze down at Kadaj sternly with suspicion. They can see Kadaj trying to hide his nervous feeling, and now look over at Loz. Loz's expression toward them is one of worry. Cid sighs. “Fine. Barrett, go find some supplies in Cloud's office. I'll take the youngin's to check on Yazoo.”  
Barrett gives Kadaj and Loz a hard look as if warning them, and now goes up the stairs while pulling the key out of his pocket. Cid now follows with the brothers, but turns down the opposite direction of the hallway. As Cid goes into the remnant's bedroom, he sees Yazoo lying on the bed and opening his eyes to see him. He receives a surprised expression from him.  
“Le's see those hands,” Cid tells him, walking toward the bed.   
Yazoo holds them up for him to see, revealing the damage.   
“Uh huh,” Cid says, examining them. “And how the ** hell ** did ya do that doin' laundry?” He stares into Yazoo's weak eyes as he lowers his arms back down to his sides.  
“I . . .” Yazoo begins, nervous.  
“Well? It's a simple question,” he snaps.  
“I . . . I fell. On my hands.”  
“Okay. Well, if yer just gonna lie, I'll let Cloud handle that.” Cid pauses and looks back as Barrett walks up to him with a kit in his hands. He looks back to Yazoo. “Now show Barrett what happened ta yer hands when you 'fell on 'em'.”   
Yazoo extends his hands, palms up, revealing the damage again. He looks sadly past Cid at his silent brothers, standing away from the scene. He looks at Barrett, hoping he is convinced.  
“You got that from falling? Where'd you fall? Northern Crater?” Barrett shakes his head, angry. “I'll be sure to remind Cloud to teach you about lying. I don't want that around my Marlene.” He hears Yazoo whimper as he sets the kit on the bed and opens it.   
Cid sits on his knees next to the bed and pulls a tube of disinfecting cream before he takes Yazoo by the left wrist. He squeezes the tube into his hand, and now motions for his other one. Yazoo lets him have it, and now rubs his palms together for him, covering his red burns and cuts. Yazoo moans as Cid does this and tries to pull his hands away.   
“Quit that!” Cid mocks angrily. He releases his left hand and grabs the cream again and puts more on his hand, and makes sure to get his fingers good on both hands. He now puts the cream away and releases Yazoo, and pulls out some thin gauze. “Better keep it covered so ya can git back ta work.”   
Yazoo sighs as he gives him his hands once again. He watches as Cid carefully wraps his palms and up some of his fingers on both hands. He looks back up at Cid to meet his gaze. “Get back to work?”  
“Yep. Laundry an' dishes not gonna do themselves.” Cid finishes his wrapping and pulls the supplies away in the kit. He hands it back to Barrett so that he can leave the room. Cid gets up from the floor and steps toward the door. “Ya might wanna go ahead and git outta that bed.” He turns away again and leaves.  
Kadaj and Loz move over to stand by the bed as Yazoo sits up and turns his head to see them. “Just ignore him, Yazoo. Big Brother won't punish you if you're hurt,” Kadaj informs.  
Yazoo looks up at him questioningly. “Are you sure?”  
“Big Brother's protective, right, Kadaj?” Loz asks.  
“Yeah. He won't expect you to be able to work with your hands wrapped like that.”  
“But . . .” He shakes his head sadly. “How will I explain this?”  
“Don't worry. I have an idea,” Kadaj smiles. 

A couple of hours later, Cloud and Tifa return home. They walk into the living room with Cloud carrying a taped-up delivery box. They both look a bit dirty and tired. Cid and Barret get up from their seats in the living room to greet them.  
“A delivery?” Barrett asks.  
“No. We found something,” Cloud informs. “We put it in here to be discreet.”  
“Somethin' ta do with Jenova?” Cid questions.  
“Yeah. I think it might be of help.”  
There is a pause before Tifa changes the subject. “So, how did things go while we were gone?”  
Barrett spat. “Brats! All three of 'em!” He gets a strict look from Cloud and a worried one from Tifa. “Lyin' and refusin' to do their chores!”  
Cloud's face goes grim. “What?”  
“Yeah. That long haired 'n lied 'n said he fell and hurt his hands. They looked burned or somethin'; no way he did that damage from fallin',” Cid informed. “And the other two claimed he didn't feel well and needed cuddlin' or some shit.”  
“You need to teach them some more manners and respect,” Barrett adds.  
Cloud frowns and his free hand goes into a fist. He walks over to set the package down on the coffee table. “Thanks, you two. I'll take it from here,” he says without looking at them. He goes up the stairs with an angry aura around him.  
“If all he's gonna do is yell at 'em and give 'em more chores, that ain't gonna work,” Barrett growls.  
“What do you mean?” Tifa asks.  
“Those brats? They need their asses beat, like I said yesterday. Ya gotta teach 'em rough when they're that bad.”  
“Do you really think that would work?”   
“Sure! You think those lil' punk-ass brats want ta go over Cloud's knee? That's exactly what'll bring 'em around!” Cid agrees. “Ya ain't never too big fer that if ya need it!”  
Tifa goes into thought as she stands in the living room.

Upstairs, Cloud barges into the brothers' room without warning. He stops once he in the middle of the room, his anger radiating off of him. He sees Yazoo sit upright on his bed, looking at him with fear. He looks to his right and sees Loz sitting on his bed with worry and Kadaj sitting in the desk chair, looking defensive. “Would one of you like to tell me what happened here while I was gone?”  
Yazoo and Loz swallow. Kadaj volunteers. “Yazoo wasn't feeling well, and we had to take care of him.”  
“Let me see your hands,” Cloud orders Yazoo.  
Yazoo holds up his bandages hands.   
Cloud shakes his head. “I want an explanation. And not the lie you told Cid and Barrett.” 

Down the hall, Tifa opens the door to her bedroom. As she goes inside, she immediately notices the lack of carpet on the floor. As if in shock, she stares down at the netting showing through where the carpet should be, and sees a multitude of distressed strands all around it. Without shutting the door, she turns and runs down the hallway and into the opened door where everyone is. “Cloud!”  
Cloud turns and looks at her with concern.  
“Cloud, they've ruined our carpet!” she fusses angrily.  
Cloud hesitates, shocked. “What?” He follows Tifa out of the room.  
Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj all look at each other in horror. They had hoped it would take longer for them to notice the damage. They are glad Cloud got pulled away before they had to answer about Yazoo's hands, but now, they had to offer up an explanation regarding what he had done in his crazed state.  
“We're dead,” Loz says, beginning to cry.  
“No. Just tell him what I told you to say,” Kadaj tells him. “He'll believe that.”  
“And if he doesn't?” Yazoo asks, scared.  
The room is quiet now until Cloud and Tifa stomp back into the room, enraged. Cloud goes up to Kadaj, staring fiercely into his eyes. “What the hell did you do to our home?!”  
“I did it,” Loz says, pulling Cloud's gaze from the smallest brother and onto him. “I . . . was chasing a giant bug down the hall. It went under your door, so I opened it and went in. I saw it there on the floor, so I grabbed at it until I got it and killed it. I accidentally took the carpet up with it.”  
Cloud thinks for a moment to digest what Loz has just told him. “Yet Yazoo is the one with burned hands.”  
“Carpet burn?” Tifa asks.  
Cloud shakes his head. “I said not to lie to me.” He stares at him so that Loz resumes crying and Kadaj swallows. Cloud now turns to look at Yazoo, who has his head down. He walks over to him, his breath heavier than usual with anger. “Why did you do that?! Why would you break the rules, going into our room, and hurt yourself to ruin our home?!”  
Yazoo bites his lip, trying to keep from crying. “I . . . I didn't mean to . . .” He does not look up.  
“Didn't mean to?!” he says with disbelief. “Look at me when I'm speaking to you!” He watches as Yazoo shutters and brings his eyes up to meet his, revealing teary eyes and fright. “Tell me why!”  
Yazoo's lip trembles and he takes a shakey breath to fight his crying. He looks past Cloud to see Tifa standing back with her arms crossed angrily. He looks back to Cloud. “It was an accident!”  
“Then explain it to me! How did you ** accidentally ** end up in our room and rip up our carpet?!”  
“I . . .”  
“Big Brother,” Kadaj begins, walking up behind him.  
“No! No more lies!” Cloud yells, cutting him off.   
Yazoo brings his hands up and sobs into them. “I was upset!”  
Cloud and Tifa listen now with interest.   
“I . . . I didn't want to do all of those chores! They were being rude to us! I just got mad and looked for something to tear up!”  
Cloud shakes his head while staring down at him. “Unbelievable. Yeah, you're getting punished for this. And you're also going to find a way to pay for replacement carpet.”  
Yazoo looks up at Cloud while sobbing. “Big Brother!”   
“Tomorrow, when your hands are feeling better, you're going to do all of the chores all day, like Kadaj did.”  
Yazoo's tears lessen and he looks relieved. “O . . . kay.” He sniffs. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it . . .”  
Cloud looks now to the other remnants with anger while Tifa looks at Yazoo, not feeling content. “Loz, Kadaj. You two will finish doing all the chores together today. Half and half. Your punishment for lying.”  
Kadaj's mouth goes agape. “But I didn't even say anything!”  
Cloud leaves the room with a rough turn, leaving Tifa staring at Yazoo. She is displeased with Yazoo's contentment with his punishment and reflects on Barrett and Cid's suggestion. This also leads her to remember Cloud telling her that Kadaj claimed to have spanked him to get him to obey. She now leaves the room with Cloud.   
Yazoo sighs with relief as his brothers stand. Loz sits next to him and puts an arm around him with concern.  
“Yaz, are you okay?” Loz asks sadly.   
Yazoo nods. “I'm just . . . feeling weak from this. And . . . worried they'll find out. But . . . I'm okay now.” Yazoo gives him a small smile of reassurance.  
“Why can't we just tell Big Brother about Yazoo being sick? We're being punished because of it!” Loz whines to Kadaj.  
“Because he'll think he's dangerous and send him away! And worse, he might send him to the ShinRa labs for treatment!” Kadaj says with a snap. He looks over at Yazoo's eased expression. “What are you suddenly so pleased about?”  
Yazoo smiles meanly at Kadaj. “I did something that bad, yet no spanking. I guess Big Brother doesn't approve of that for me.”  
Kadaj huffs angrily. “Let's get to work, Loz.” He and Loz leave the room angrily while Yazoo is feeling accomplished. 

Later, Yazoo is resting on the couch, still feeling slightly unsteady from his episode earlier, while Loz and Kadaj are using teamwork to clean the dishes in the kitchen. Cloud and Tifa walk into the living room from the stairs, carrying the delivery box they had brought home earlier. Yazoo looks at it with curiosity.  
“Loz! Kadaj!” Cloud calls, setting the box on the coffee table where it had rested earlier.   
Loz and Kadaj can be heard clanking dishes before they appear in the room. They look tired and anxious as they come closer to where everyone is. “Yes, Big Brother?” Kadaj asks reluctantly.  
Cloud rests his hand on the top of the box while looking at Kadaj. “Do you know what's in this box?”  
Kadaj looks at it, and now up at Cloud without a clue. “Should I?”  
Cloud hesitates. “You don't . . . ** feel ** anything?”  
Kadaj stares at him with wonder for a moment, thinking deeply on his words. He looks again at the box. “No . . .” He shakes his head.   
Cloud looks at Loz and sees he looks clueless, and once again sees the same expression on Yazoo's face. He turns to see Tifa, who nods approvingly at him. His gaze goes to Kadaj again. “In this box is remains from Jenova. We found it around the monument.”  
Yazoo bolts to an upright position on the couch, looking afraid. Kadaj looks as if he is in a state of shock. Loz gasps and tries to keep from crying.   
“M . . . Mother . . .” Kadaj chokes.  
“Mother?” Cloud asks. “I thought you were done with that.”  
Kadaj sighs sadly while looking downward. “We are. But . . . she is what she is.”  
“Fair enough.” Cloud looks at the box again. “You're not going to try anything with this?”  
Kadaj scoffs, offended. “Why?! So I can be taken over by ** Sephiroth ** again?! Her ** favorite **?! No thanks!”  
“She didn't love us,” Loz weeps.  
“Please. Throw it away, Big Brother,” Yazoo says, pained.  
Cloud glances around the room at the three brothers, gauging their reactions. They had told him before how they felt, but seeing their reaction with Jenova physically in their presence was powerful proof. He can tell their expressions are genuine, so he fights back a smile. “Good. I'm getting rid of it, then.” He picks the box up and begins walking up the stairs. He glances back over his shoulder to see their reaction to his action. Loz is still weeping, Yazoo looks slightly more at ease, and Kadaj just looks hurt. He watches curiously as Loz puts an arm around Kadaj and Kadaj pulls him into a tight hug, needing his comfort more than Loz needed his. Cloud nods with a smile as he resumes climbing the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6!!! I had NO idea what to put as the title, so I settled for that. At least it's unique, I guess. Anyway, I hope you like it! I'm pretty happy with this one. 
> 
> So, I was inspired by one of the new scenes in Advent Children Complete where Yazoo attacks the ShinRa helicoptor. It gives me the impression that he inherited some of Sephiroth's insanity, so that's what's going on here. This is also mostly what Aerith was referring to in the beginning about his brothers taking care of him, and partly why he has issues with feeling vulnerable.
> 
> Next chapter: The mysterious child is seen again! And will Kadaj get revenge on Denzel?


	7. Trouble in the Neighborhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kadaj breaks one of the rules and learns of its importance the hard way. And Cloud tries to keep the suspicious townspeople out of his business.

The next day, Loz and Kadaj are sitting on the couch together while Denzel and Marlene are playing toys in the floor. Kadaj and Loz are leaned over in order to color in the coloring-book on the coffee table in front of them, Kadaj coloring one page with crayons and Loz the other. Loz insisted he got to color the page with the puppy on it, so Kadaj is coloring beetles.   
Yazoo descends the stairs gracefully and quietly. As he enters the room, his gazes goes from his brothers over to the children in the floor. Upon seeing Denzel, a slightly malicious grin appears in his eyes, remembering how he had tried to get him and Kadaj in trouble with Tifa before. He strolls over to the nearby wall and stands, staring at the child.   
Denzel moves the dinosaur toward Marlene's as she makes it dance, then feels something discomforting. He glances over his shoulder and sees that Yazoo is staring at him with his odd green eyes. Denzel stares back for a moment, waiting for him to look away, but he does not. Denzel looks back to his playing and makes the dinosaur move as if eating from a toy tree, but still feels the eyes on him. He looks back again and sees Yazoo still looking at him. He swallows and turns back to Marlene, who gives him a look of worry.   
“Why is he staring at me?” Denzel whispers with fear in his voice.  
Marlene shakes her head with arched eyebrows. She continues to give this look to Denzel for another moment before looking past him at Yazoo, who tilts his head a bit and looks at her. Feeling afraid, she takes Denzel by the arm gently and stands up to lead him to the kitchen.  
“Hmph,” Yazoo says with his smile, watching them exit. He walks away from leaning against the wall to crouch down in the play area. He picks up a baby triceratops and puts it on top of the plastic volcano, knocks over all the trees standing up, and puts toy rocks on top of three of the adult dinosaurs. As he pushes against the floor to rise, he is stopped upon hearing Tifa shout his name.  
“Yazoo! Why are you bothering Marlene and Denzel?!” she scolds while marching into the room with the children behind her.  
Yazoo looks down with his serene expression. “I was only watching them play.”  
“No, you weren't! You were staring at us!” Denzel argues.  
“Yazoo, that isn't nice,” Tifa informs angrily. “Now, I want you to apologize to them and go play with your brothers.”  
“'Hey!” Marlene exclaims. She dives into the play area and grabs the baby from the volcano. “You're hurting their baby! It got burned from the lava!” she cries in great distress. “Why did you do that?!”  
“And you knocked down all the trees! We had that just perfect!” Denzel fusses with disappointment.   
Tifa glowers at Yazoo. “Yazoo, get up.”  
Yazoo looks up at her from the floor with little emotion and tilts his head.  
“I said get up,” she repeats.  
“Oh. Yazoo's getting a spanking,” Loz says to Kadaj in amusement as they are paused from their coloring to observe the entertainment before them.  
Yazoo shoots Loz an angry look, and slowly turns his neck to look back up at Tifa again. He sees she is still giving him a look of fury, but he does not budge. He instead reaches for a dinosaur, earning him more glares from Marlene and Denzel, who are trying to repair the scenery. He hears footsteps go around him, and his arm is pulled upwards, summoning him to his feet. He looks to see Tifa has a tight grip on him and is looking up at him with her same expression.  
“I said to get up,” she says sternly into his eyes.  
Yazoo gives her a nonchalant look through his accelerated heartbeat. “You said I could play toys.”  
“You're not ** playing toys **! You're being mean to the kids! And what is the ** number one ** rule to living here?! Not to do anything bad to the kids!” she scolds, shaking his arm a bit in her grip.  
Yazoo swallows before looking over at Kadaj and Loz on the couch, who are watching with interest. He looks back to Tifa, looking more afraid than before. “Are you . . . going to punish me?”  
“Yes, of course I am! I have to teach you how to behave! And you're not going to like it!”  
Yazoo gently pulls at his arm in her grasp, but she is still gripped to him tightly. He looks at her with his uncaring emotion replaced with one of nervousness. “You're not . . . going to spank me, are you?”  
“Why shouldn't I?! You're being a total ** brat **!”  
Marlene and Denzel gasp and exchange looks, and now burst into giggles at the thought of Tifa spanking Yazoo. Loz and Kadaj are having a similar reaction on the couch together, both laughing while watching on the edge of their seats.  
Yazoo's cheeks glow a bit as he averts his gaze from Tifa. “U-umm . . . I . . .”  
“Yeah, when Cloud gets here, we'll make sure you get a good punishment from this. We let you off easy yesterday for what you did to the carpet, and you're not appreciative at all.” She roughly pulls her hand off of his arm. “Now, go to your room. I want you to go and think about how you've behaved.” She turns to walk away back toward the kitchen.   
Yazoo watches her from behind for a moment, a little shaken by what has just happened. After a moment, he turns and walks around to the staircase without even a glance to his brothers.   
Kadaj and Loz watch their brother until he vanishes from their view, and now look at one another. Instead of amusement, they have stunned looks to give to one another. Kadaj now looks toward the doorway to the entry room and kitchen, seeing Tifa is gone.  
“Yazoo's in real trouble,” Loz comments.   
“Yeah,” Kadaj says, looking back toward him.  
“Why was he staring at them anyway?”  
Kadaj laughs. “To scare them, of course.” This earns him a look of anger from Marlene and Denzel from the floor, where they are trying to fix their dinosaur habitat. 

Upstairs, Yazoo arrives in the bedroom and closes the door behind himself. He stands there, staring at the floor, and crosses his arms over himself protectively. He thinks about how Tifa scolded him and feels hurt and guilty. He walks over to the bed and lays down in it. He wanted revenge on Denzel, but feels bad for upsetting Tifa, who has been kinder to him than anyone so far. He pulls the covers up to his chest as he stares off at the ceiling, regretting what he had done. 

Denzel and Marlene resume playing, so Kadaj grins in their direction from the couch. “Hey, Denzel,” he calls. Denzel looks at him defensively, holding the T-Rex out from his body toward Marlene's brontosaurus. “How about you go get us some chocolate. We've been good today.”  
“Leave us alone,” Denzel growls.  
“Hmph.” Kadaj gets up from the couch and begins toward the kitchen. As he walks by the play area, he subtly knocks the volcano over with his foot, taking three trees down with it.  
“Hey!” Denzel and Marlene whine in unison.   
Kadaj continues on into the kitchen. Inside, he sees Tifa sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee while reading a fitness magazine. She looks over it to see him.   
“Yes, Kadaj?” she inquires.  
“Since I've been so good today, can I have a piece of chocolate?”  
“Tifa!” Marlene cries, running over to Tifa with tears. She runs past Kadaj and stands next to her.  
“Oh, Marlene, what's wrong?” Tifa asks with concern, stroking her arm.  
“It's ** them **!” she sobs. “Yazoo ruined our dinosaur stuff, so we fixed it, and now, Kadaj messed it up!”  
Tifa looks up at Kadaj with disbelief. “He did?” she asks Marlene.  
“And now, Loz is asking to play, but I'm scared he'll ruin it even more!” she cries. “We just wanted to play toys!”  
Kadaj watches as Tifa glares up at him. He looks at Marlene now with nervousness. “I'm sorry, Marlene. I was doing it at Denzel, not you.”  
“Huh?” Marlene asks, her teary eyes showing confusion.  
“Why did you do that to Denzel?” Tifa asks him.   
“Because . . .”  
“If he does something to you, you have to tell me. I'll take care of it.”  
Kadaj is taken aback from hearing this. He closes his eyes as a way of switching his emotions. “I can take care of myself,” he says arrogantly. He turns around. “I do things my own way.” He begins toward the doorway.  
“No, Kadaj! You let me or Cloud take care of it!” Tifa shouts.  
Kadaj rolls his eyes and continues away. As he enters the entrance room, he sees Denzel is still at the play area and Loz is absent. He gives a hate-filled look at the unaware child, angry that he is more important to Cloud and Tifa and that he is trying to get him in trouble. Not wanting to deal with him anymore, he looks behind himself to see Tifa is talking with Marlene and not paying any mind to him. Quietly, he unlocks the front door, slips out while looking back at Tifa, and exits the house. 

Far down on the opposite side of the monument from Seventh Heaven, Cloud is driving down a street. He brings his motorcycle to a slow and parks it by the curb masterfully between two vehicles. As he pulls his leg across it to stand on the ground, he hears a familiar and not particularly wanted voice.  
“Well, look whose out and about in Shinra territory,” Reno grins, walking up toward Cloud with his rod propped against his shoulder and Rude walking next to him.   
“I'm on a delivery,” Cloud tells him flatly, turning back toward his bike and pulling the package out of a compartment.   
“Y'know, you could always work for Shinra,” Reno informs cooly. “Boss says he'd love to have you as a body guard.”  
“Not interested.” Cloud has the package in hand now and is facing them. He looks between the two of them before walking toward them, hoping they would divide to let him go through, but they do not. He looks up at Rude.   
“The president would like to meet with you,” Rude tells him.   
“Not today. I'm busy.” Cloud walks around them with his package in hand. His action leaves Reno and Rude to turn around and watch with suspicion as Cloud walks into a cafe on the other side of the street.  
“Not today, huh?” Reno repeats with interest.  
“Tseng seems concerned no one's seen much of him lately,” Rude adds.  
“Think he's up to something?”  
“Yeah. We'd better keep an eye on Strife.”  
Cloud enters the building with the package, relieved that the room has few people in it. He looks to see someone paying at the counter, and looks to the left toward the windows to see Cid sitting at a table. Instantly, he begins toward him, seeing he is drinking tea while playing solitaire on the table. Cloud walks around to the other side of the small table and takes a seat, placing the package on the table.  
“I see ya got here on time. That's good,” Cid tells him while scooting a card across the surface.  
“Have you heard anything about where to find any more of Jenova's remains?” Cloud asks.  
Cid stops playing his game now and gives his attention to Cloud. “Ever'one's sayin' they all got washed away with that rain, that when the stigma was cured, the cells dissolved.”  
“No. I already found some. There has to be more.”  
“Why's that? Maybe ya got it all?”  
Cloud shakes his head. “I don't know. But I have to be sure I can get rid of all of it.”  
Cid lets out a heavy sigh. “Well, did ya git what I needed fer me?”  
“Yeah.” Cloud pushes the package over to Cid.  
“Thanks. The Shera needs a little maintenance.” He gets a hold of the box, and now looks back to Cloud. “So, how're those brats treatin' ya and Tifa?”  
Cloud sighs. “It's nonstop with them. Tifa's not running the diner lately because of trying to help with them, only the bar at night.”  
“Yer gonna hafta show 'im whose boss. If ya can save the world, ya can save the household, too.”  
The bell rings on the door, alerting someone's entrance. Cloud looks to see it is Reno and Rude. He looks at Cid seriously. “Don't tell them about the remnants.”  
“Secret's safe with me,” Cid winks. He stands up and drinks down the rest of the cup of tea, and now picks up the package. “Thank ya. See ya later.”   
Cloud looks past Cid walking away to watch Reno and Rude order at the counter. Wondering why they seem to be stalking him, he turns forward and begins to get up from his seat, but is stopped from seeing a shadow loom over him. He turns to see a waitress looking down at him with a serving tray.  
“Coffee?” she offers.  
“No, thanks,” Cloud tells her. He gets up and heads toward the exit.

Kadaj is walking up the street from the house, kicking some stray pebbles as he does so. He is staring downward, feeling frustrated with his living situation. He wants to have power and be the head of household, not have to obey two adults and put the needs of children above his own. As he thinks about this, he kicks the next pebble harder than he had the last. He stops and looks up at his surroundings, seeing he is the only person walking on this street. He resumes walking, hearing cars whiz by on the next street over. He watches ahead now, taking in the change of scenery and breathing in the polluted air.   
As he continues down the stretch, the house still visible behind him, he notices an accessory store to his right. He looks across the road at it with intrigue, seeing a large, black derby hat in the window and a pair of black gloves next to it. He looks both ways before crossing the lonely street and enters the small shop.  
He glances around in curiosity as he walks inside, seeing hats, gloves, scarves, bags, boots, and all kinds of jewelry placed tightly together in the small room. As he slowly swerves his neck around to look all around the room, he sees the woman at the counter looks terrified. He approaches the counter, causing her to take a step back.  
“Y . . . you're . . .,” she trembles, an arm loosely held in front of her chest as a way of poor protection.  
Kadaj turns away from her, irritated. He looks back at the stuff, but his mood is ruined. He turns and leaves the shop, re-entering the street. He continues up the road, trying to find something else interesting.  
After only taking a few steps, Kadaj stops. He suddenly feels a strange, unpleasant sensation radiating through his body. He looks down at himself with concern, and looks back up to in front of him. He feels his heart pound a little harder than a second ago, his fingers twitch, his head start to hurt. Feeling uneasy, he turns around and begins walking back home with his hand over his chest. The back of his neck begins to perspire, his heart pound harder, his mind feeling anxious. He lets out a quiet whimper as he begins walking faster, staring straight at the house. He looks behind himself, but sees nothing, and continues forward. His body begins trembling harder, his heart thumping harshly, and his mind feeling more and more afraid quickly. Scared, he walks faster and faster, seeing the house become more defined in his vision. He glances behind himself again and sees nothing, but looks to his left and lets out a yelp at what he sees: the child Loz had described in the store.   
“N . . . no . . . no!” Kadaj screams, his entire body shaking and sweating. He shakes his head and begins running toward the house. After only about ten paces, his legs have become so weak he falls on his knees and elbows on the concrete. He pushes himself up to his knees and looks behind himself, seeing the child walking slowly toward him. He begins heaving with terror and tears come into his eyes. His mind is racing so hard he feels a bit faint. “NO!!!!! GO AWAY!!! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!!” he shrieks as the tears begin falling down his face.   
Kadaj sits on his knees, twisted around so that through his vision blurred by tears, watching as the child walks up to him with an evil grin on his face. His shaking hands are on both sides of his head and his fingers are gripping and pulling at his own hair. He is wailing from fright, paralyzed by fear so that he cannot get up. “NOOOO!!!! DON”T TOUCH ME!!! GO AWAAAAAAY!!!!” Nothing but terror is going through Kadaj's mind as he stares into the wicked eyes that look just like his own. “BIG BROTHER!!!! HELP ME!!! HELP MEEEEE!!!” He sobs pitifully as the last word escapes his lips, and his head drops so that he is no longer staring at the being approaching.   
As if out of nowhere, there is the sound of rubber soles sliding against rough concrete in front of Kadaj. Instead of looking up to see what is happening, Kadaj lets out a whimper and curls himself into a ball as he brings his head down against his lap. He simply sobs, defeated.  
In front of the weary remnant is Cloud, standing in front of him protectively with his sword in hand. He is staring at the child fiercely because of Kadaj's state, and examines him carefully. He has long, silver hair, green feline eyes, cool, pale skin, and is wearing a black hoody with black pants and boots. He appears to be about Denzel's age, yet has a wicked look in his eyes.  
“GO AWAYYY!!!” Kadaj continues. “NOOOO!!! LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!!!”  
“Who are you?!” Cloud shouts to the child, who is staring back at him, no longer approaching Kadaj. He watches as he simply smiles. “Leave Kadaj alone!” He still gets no response, so he takes a step toward him. As if motion-activated, the child turns around and runs at a high speed that is uncommon for a child. Cloud follows after him with determination, turning down the side street after him. Just as soon as he reaches the end of it, he sees no trace of the child. He glances around for a moment, looking for a clue as to where to go to find him, but hears Kadaj's screaming and decides he should take care of him first.   
Cloud scurries back to where he was and hurries to Kadaj's side. He gets to his knees next to him, seeing him curled up in a ball while wailing. With concern and care, Cloud puts a hand on his shoulder. “Kadaj?” He can feel him trembling.   
“DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME!!!” he continues. “GET HIM AWAY, GET HIM AWAY, GET HIM AWAAAAY!!!”  
“Kadaj, he's gone. I'm taking you home, now.” He gently pulls at his arm, beckoning him to shakily get to his knees. Cloud glances around to see there are several people standing around, watching the two of them. He looks back to Kadaj with frustration that he has brought attention to them.  
Kadaj's hair is matted against his face from tears. As he gets steady on his knees, he pushes his face into Cloud's chest and latches onto the front of his shirt. “B-B-BIG . . . BRO-THER!” he sobs less harshly than before.   
Cloud glances around again at the residents of Edge as he embraces the hysterical and embarrassingly loud remnant. He looks back to Kadaj. “Come on.” He puts his arms around him and picks him up in his arms. He allows Kadaj to continue clinging to him and sobbing into him as he walks with him to the house. He tries to avoid eye contact with the dozen people now who are watching the scene with curiosity and alarm.   
The door had been left unlocked, so Cloud manages to open it and then close it behind himself as he comes inside. Instantly, Tifa arrives into the entrance room, having heard Kadaj's cries. She looks at them with shock.  
“What happened?!” she exclaims.  
Cloud walks past her and into the living room. He goes toward the couch that Loz is occupying while coloring again, but Loz looks up and sees him approaching, so he willingly gets up and moves out of the way. He tries to set Kadaj down on the couch, but he clings to him harshly. He pulls at him again, but he is as secure as a cat would be.  
“What's going on?” Loz asks, nearly crying from the sight. He is standing next to Tifa, both of them with expressions of worry.  
“That child appeared again,” Cloud responds. He purposely moves his arm from underneath Kadaj, forcing him to let go and land on the couch. He assists him in lying down in a more comfortable position, and watches as he covers his face with his hands.   
Tifa and Loz gasp. “Did you see him?” Tifa asks.  
Cloud nods. “Yeah. He's real.”  
“Did he hurt him?” Loz inquires.  
“I don't know.” He looks back down to Kadaj. “What I'd like to know is what he was doing outside by himself.”  
“I'm sorry, Cloud. I thought he went upstairs to be with Yazoo. I had sent him to his room for misbehaving,” Tifa tells him.  
Cloud sighs. He turns to go take a seat, but Kadaj's hand grabs his wrist, stopping him. He looks back at him, seeing his wet, swollen face.   
“Big Brother,” Kadaj heaves, calming down.  
Cloud turns back around to see him, leaning over a bit. “Are you okay, Kadaj?”  
Kadaj nods weakly. “Thank you, Big Brother.”  
His back aching from the awkward position, he crouches next to him. “Did he hurt you?” He gets a shake of the head from Kadaj. “Who is he?”  
“I don't know, but . . . I can't let him touch me!”  
“Why not?”  
“I don't know!”  
“You're terrified of him. Why?”  
“Don't let him get me, Big Brother!” he cries, sitting up and grabbing Cloud into a hug again.   
Cloud pushes him back down on the couch, in no mood for hugs from him. “I want some answers. Why is he after you, and why were you out alone?”  
Kadaj frowns, not liking Cloud's redirecting of the situation. “I don't know, and I just wanted to go outside and get away from Denzel.”  
“You know you're not allowed outside by yourself. If someone sees you, ShinRa's going to get involved. Or people might come after us after what you did. There were people watching me with you,” he scolds. “Did you talk to anyone?”  
Kadaj shakes his head nervously.  
“Did anyone get a good look at you?”  
Kadaj begins to shake his head, but does not finish, scared to lie to Cloud. He gets an angry look from him. “I just wanted to get out of this house.”  
“Kadaj, that's dangerous! Someone could have hurt you!” Tifa fusses.  
“I'm sorry!” Kadaj sniffs.   
Cloud gets up and sighs as he walks over to Tifa and Loz. “Well, I have to go back out and get Fenrir. Please keep an eye on him.” He walks past them and toward the doorway.  
As Cloud steps out the front door, he looks to his right to see a few of the people who had been watching his scene with Kadaj talking with Reno and Rude. Wanting to avoid any more contact with ShinRa, Cloud comes back inside and locks the door. He goes back into the living room, causing Tifa to look over at him questioningly. “The Turks are outside talking to the people who just saw me with him,” he says to her before looking at Kadaj still lying on the couch.  
Tifa shakes her head, and now looks to Kadaj angrily. “Why do you always have to cause so much trouble?! We're trying ** so ** hard to help you, but you make it so difficult!”  
“It's Denzel's fault!” Kadaj argues.  
“What is it that he did to you that's so bad?”  
“He's the one who hid the candy in my room! It was a set-up!”  
“Stop lying! Denzel would never do that!” She gets up off of the love seat and looks at Cloud. “I'm going to go talk to Yazoo.” He nods, so she goes to the stairs. She climbs them and goes all the way down the hallway to the door at the end. She knocks lightly before letting herself inside. She is gretted with Yazoo lying down in the bed, sitting up by being propped on his elbows.   
Tifa closes the door behind herself. “Well? Did you think about your behavior today, or did you nap instead?”  
Yazoo looks down sadly. “I'm sorry.” He watches the covers rise and lower from his breathing, the only distraction from the silence. “You have been really good to me. I'm . . . ashamed.”   
Tifa's expression softens. She walks from the door and closer to the bed. “Yes. I ** have ** been really good to you. Despite what you did to the kids and helping Kadaj hurt people, I've supported you.”  
Yazoo looks at her now. “I shouldn't have been bad. I really like you. I'm sorry.”  
“Thank you. I'm glad you did what I asked and thought about what you did.”  
Yazoo watches her questioningly as she turns and walks toward the desk. “I . . .” As she turns and walks back toward him with his hair brush in her hands, his sadness turns to fear. He stares at the brush and recoils.  
Tifa stops next to the bed, watching him with confusion. “Yazoo?”   
“Please . . . ,” he says quietly.   
Tifa blinks. “Yazoo, I'm just going to brush that knot out of your hair. I'll be gentle.”  
Yazoo's lips part slightly and he blinks. “Mmm?”  
“Now hold still for me.”  
Yazoo swallows as Tifa holds his hair with one hand and brushes out the tangle gently with the other. Having seen her come in angry and getting the brush, he had thought she was going to hit him with it. Relieved he was mistaken, yet feeling uncomfortable with her being this intimate with him, he makes effort to not shudder.   
“There,” she says, pulling away from him. She gives him a curious look, seeing he looks mortified.   
“Thank you,” Yazoo breathes shyly.  
Tifa puts the brush back where she had gotten it from. “You can come out now. Actually, Kadaj would probably be glad to see you.” She walks back toward the door, but looks back at him.   
“Why?”  
“He went against me and snuck outside. And there was a bit of an incident.”  
Yazoo grips the covers with his hands roughly and pushes it aside to get out of the bed. “Is he okay?”  
“I'm not sure.”  
Yazoo rushes over to the door, forcing her to side-step out of the way. He hurries down the hallway and down the stairs, heading straight for his little brother on the couch. He watches as Kadaj turns his neck to look at him as he gets down on the floor next to him. “Are you okay?”  
“Yeah,” Kadaj replies.  
“You went outside? Without even Loz?” He tilts his head in inquiry.  
“I won't do it again. I promise.”   
Yazoo turns to look at Cloud sitting in the chair.   
“That child from the store came after him. I found him and brought him home,” Cloud informs.  
Yazoo looks back to Kadaj with a mixture of fear and concern. “Did he hurt you?”  
“No, but he ** wanted ** to,” Kadaj tells him. He sits up and positions himself properly on the middle cushion, so Yazoo sits to his left. “He was trying to touch me!”  
“That's what happens when you don't do as I say,” Cloud tells him. “I'm trying to protect you, but you won't let me.”  
“You never let me go outside! You never let me go ** anywhere ** !”  
Yazoo strokes Kadaj's back comfortingly. “Kadaj, don't get so upset.”  
“Yeah. We're safe now, as long as Big Brother's here,” Loz adds, sitting across from them.   
“It's hard for me to let you outside after what you've done. You're not safe, especially when you're alone.” Cloud gets up from his seat, feeling an odd sensation after the words leave his mouth and enter his own ears. Although he has been caring for Sephiroth's remnants for a short while already, it still feels odd to him to be protecting such beings. He mentally shakes the thought away and leaves the room. “I'm going to see if I can get Fenrir home now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter was inserted between the previous and what I had originally planned to be ch. 7 due to feeling a need to address a few more things before hitting onto something else. I'm not super satisfied with it, but I think at least the plot points are decent. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! I'm sorry for the unexpected hiatus as well. I have actually moved TWICE within the past week due to unforesee circumstances, the second time moving to another state. It's been wild. 
> 
> Next Chapter: Can the remnants learn to get along with Marlene and Denzel? And how much more can Cloud tolerate of this kind of poor behavior in this dysfunctional home?


	8. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud and Tifa are fed-up with the poor behavior of the remnants, so they pursue a solution for one of the three.

A few days have passed since Cloud came home with the small amount of Jenova and then rescued his youngest sibling from the mysterious child. Today, he is out to talk to Vincent again, this time to discuss about the child and about the cells he found by the monument. For now, he has the box of cells hidden away in his locked office to keep them safe, and is watching the remnants to make sure they do not attempt to retrieve it.   
Until Cloud returns home, Tifa is the only real adult in the house, and as such, has her hands full. She is cleaning the stove after Yazoo had a food explosion in it, trying to clean it before it dries and hardens. In the meantime, the remnants and Marlene and Denzel, the only orphans at the house today, are being left unsupervised. She is in hopes that they are all being kept occupied with either chores or playing with toys.  
“Tifa!” Marlene cries while running into the kitchen, squeezing a doll in her arms against her chest. She watches as Tifa pulls her head out of the oven. “Tifa, Kadaj is trying to take my doll! He already took her blanket!”  
Tifa huffs with frustration and slams the rag she had been cleaning the oven with on top of the stove. She stomps into the living room, seeing Kadaj giggling while putting the blanket on another doll. “Kadaj!” she scolds. She watches him as he turns to look at her from his position in the floor. “Leave Marlene's toys alone! You can play with whatever is in the toy box!”  
“Well, I want to play with the dolls!” Kadaj argues. “I didn't get to experience having a mother!”  
Tifa's fists clench as he stares at him sternly from the doorway. “Kadaj, give the blanket back to Marlene. It's mean to take other peoples' things. And if she doesn't want to play dolls with you, you'll have to play with something else.”  
Kadaj frowns angrily at her. “Fine!” He stands up, leaving the blanket on the other doll. He crosses his arms while giving the bratty look to Tifa again.  
Marlene runs back over to the other doll and takes the blanket back with a “Hmph!”. She wraps it properly around the doll in her arms as if it is a real baby. She now smiles up at Tifa.  
“No, drop the attitude. I'm not putting up with it any more,” Tifa tells him.   
“Or what?” Kadaj smirks.  
“Or you'll be punished! Now uncross your arms and stop giving me that look.”  
“I'm not scared of you,” he scoffs, still smirking.   
“And I'm not scared of you. But you ** should ** be scared of what Cloud will do when I tell him how you've disrespected me.” She puts her hands on her hips.  
Kadaj growls while squeezing his crossed arms tighter.   
“And take off that stupid leather. We bought those new clothes for you and your brothers, yet you haven't even worn them.”  
“We like our leather,” Yazoo butts-in calmly. He is laying on the couch lazily while reading a book.   
“Yazoo, would you please go wash the dishes for me now? I asked you an hour ago,” Tifa requests.  
“I'll do it later.” He does not even turn to look at her.  
Tifa shakes her head in disbelief. She now looks over at Loz, who is in Cloud's chair, reading a newspaper. “At least ** one ** of you behaves properly . . .”  
Loz looks over at her from the paper, assuming correctly that she was referring to him. “Big Brother says we need to get jobs. I'm looking in the paper.”  
“See? Why can't you two be responsible like your brother?” Tifa asks Kadaj and Yazoo.  
“Suck-up,” Kadaj mumbles.  
“Well, I'm going to finish with the oven now. Please be good for me,” she says airily as she returns to the kitchen.

At the rubble in Midgar, Cloud and Vincent are walking while chatting. Cloud is unsure of how to feel about everything, and Vincent is responding grimly. They stop as they walk over a ruined ShinRa logo.  
“I'm just not sure of what to do next,” Cloud says. “Aerith wants them to become whole without the help of Jenova, yet there's a child with Jenova Cells and one trying to collect them to get rid of them? What does all of this mean?”  
“I think it means the remnants need to not give in to becoming whole the wrong way and instead do it the right way,” Vincent responds. “The wrong way, with Jenova's cells, turns them into Sephiroth. So there has to be a way for them to become fully themselves without the cells.”  
“I have to find the cells so we can make sure Sephiroth can never come back. But I don't know if I can do it alone.”  
“Can you rely on Kadaj? How he is acting?”  
“He's a total brat,” Cloud begins walking again. “Defiant, thankless . . . yet, he wants to be my little brother. And his brothers aren't much better. Yazoo is lazy and is apparently as destructive as Loz.”   
“So you probably can't take them with you to look for the cells,” Vincent deducts.  
“Not until they learn to take orders from me.”  
“And ShinRa?”  
Cloud looks at him questioningly. “What about ShinRa?”  
“Don't you think Rufus would know where to find some of the cells as well? He had her head, after all.”  
Cloud stops again and looks down at the rubble. He realizes he is right, but hates having to do any kind of business with ShinRa Inc. “I guess it can't be avoided.”

Later at home, Tifa pulls out some ingredients to bake a cake and sets them on the counter. Next, she opens the cabinet for a mixing bowl, but sees there are none left. Thinking they should be clean, she opens the dishwasher, but finds them still dirty in there. She sighs and goes into the living room to see Yazoo still lazily laying on the couch, this time reading a gossip magazine.  
“Yazoo, you still haven't done the dishes for me?” she asks with irritation.  
Yazoo turns his neck to look at her. “I haven't felt like it.”  
“Well, can you please do it now? I'm wanting to bake a cake, and I can't without a clean bowl.”  
“I don't feel like it right now. I told you, I'll do it later.”  
Tifa takes a deep breath, trying not to start an argument. “Yazoo, you will do as you are told. And I'm telling you to go clean the dishes.”  
“And I'm telling you I will do them later.”  
Kadaj is sitting in the floor with toy dinosaurs, watching between the two of them. His curiosity is piqued as he hears the exchange getting more heated. He sees Loz grinning at him from his peripheral vision, as the bigger remnant is sitting next to him holding a toy tree.   
Tifa goes over to Yazoo and snatches the magazine out of his hands from behind. “You're not going to back-talk me!”  
Yazoo twists his body to look at her. Her brows are furrowed and her lips are pursed slightly with anger. He frowns at her. “Please give me that back. I was looking at it.”  
“I will when you get done with the dishes.”  
Yazoo sits up on the couch, not amused with what is happening. “Big Brother says I can read the books in here.”  
“And I'm saying you can after you do your chores. We had an agreement that you would do your chores in exchange for living here!”  
“I will do my chores! Just not right now!”   
Tifa just shakes her head while staring at him. “Okay. I'll tell Cloud when he gets home and he can deal with you.” She turns and takes off with the magazine.  
“Give that back!” he demands. He watches as Tifa ignores him and goes back to the kitchen. He looks over at his brothers sniggering in the floor. “What is so funny, brothers?”  
“Lazy Yazoo!” Loz laughs.  
“And Big Brother's gonna spank you!” Kadaj adds gleefully.  
Yazoo blushes. “No, he isn't! If he won't over ruined carpet, he certainly won't over this.” He lays back down on the couch and smiles contently. “I have nothing to worry about. He can't make me do the chores, and you two won't let him get rid of me.”  
“And I thought ** you ** were the brat, Kadaj,” Loz says in awe.  
Kadaj glares at Loz. “And I thought ** you ** knew better than to insult me!”  
Loz's attention gets grabbed as Denzel walks into the room from upstairs. He appears playful and goes past the remnants over to the box of toy cars. Loz smirks and crawls over to him, picking up a different car. Denzel looks at him blankly, and now turns away from him with his own car.  
“Wanna play?” Loz asks. Denzel appears nervous and ignores him. “Hmph. That's rude.” He moves his car right next to Denzel's and begins pushing it. He can see Denzel tense up, uncomfortable being so close to him. Loz grins at this and strikes the car in his hand with his, knocking it out of Denzel's hand. Denzel gasps and scoots back on the floor. “Play with me.”  
Denzel gets up and runs into the kitchen. “Tifa! Tifa!” he cries.  
Tifa sighs, turning from sorting a cabinet. “Did Kadaj do something again?”  
“No, it was the big one! He won't leave me alone!” he says, trembling with fear. “I don't like him and I was just trying to play cars, and he won't stop bothering me, and he he he . . . he knocked one out of my hand when I was playing!” Denzel is trying to not cry, feeling very afraid of Loz.  
Tifa grits her teeth as she goes back into the living room with a frying pan in her left hand, fed-up with the remnants' behavior. “Loz!” she calls, walking to the middle of the room. “Denzel doesn't want to play with you! Leave him alone, and don't knock toys out of his hand! Go stand in the corner for five minutes!”  
“H-huh?!” Loz asks, shocked.  
“Get up and stand with your nose in the corner!” she yells, pointing at the corner of the room closest to him and the window.   
Loz blinks, and now stands up. “Alright. Fine. I'll play.” He smiles at her, and now goes to the corner obediently, finding it funny.   
“It's punishment; it's time-out,” she informs through her gritted teeth.   
Kadaj laughs from where he is now standing behind the love seat. “Serves you right to be punished like a baby!”   
“You, too, Kadaj! You've acted horribly!” She points to the corner closes to the stairs. “Go!”  
Kadaj laughs. “You want me to –“  
“Do it!” Her face is turning red with anger and she is visibly seething.   
Kadaj, feeling a bit intimidated by her for the first time, runs to the corner. He glances back at her over his shoulder.  
“No! No peeking! Nose in the corner and hands behind your back!” she orders. She hears Yazoo giggling on the couch, so she turns her glare toward him. “Okay, you can join them, too! Over there!” She points to the corner closest to the entrance room.   
Yazoo gets up from the couch, but does not go to the corner. “I don't want to.”  
Tifa takes a couple of steps toward him with the frying pan lifted over her head, ready to strike. She sees his nonchalant expression morph into one of fear as he turns and runs for the corner. He puts his nose into the crack and his hands laced behind his back obediently.  
“Good. Now, you three will stay exactly like that until I say you can leave,” she explains. “If you don't obey, you have to stay longer.”  
Loz whimpers. Kadaj grunts. Yazoo sighs. Denzel and Marlene gleefully get back in the floor to play with their toys in peace. Tifa puts her hands on her hips and a smile on her face, satisfied. 

Ten minutes later, Cloud arrives home. He goes straight to the living room and stops in surprise at seeing the three remnants all in different corners of the room. He notices Tifa is sitting on the couch smiling and the children are playing with their toys. He walks over to his girlfriend in awe.  
“Tifa, what happened?”  
“Oh, I'm just trying to deal with the situation,” she tells him.  
His face becomes more serious. “What situation?”  
“Loz bullying Denzel, Kadaj being a brat and taking Marlene's toys, and Yazoo being lazy and back-talking me.”  
Cloud's hands go into fists as he looks among the remnants, who are obediently keeping their noses in the corners and resisting looking back at Cloud. Cloud's heart rate accelerates a bit as he becomes angry with their behavior. The room is silent around him, his breathing all he can hear.  
“Loz, Kadaj, go up to your room. We're going to have a conversation about your behavior,” Cloud informs. He watches as the two of them move out of their corners and look at him before going up the stairs. He turns now toward Yazoo. “Yazoo, you'll stay down here with Tifa. The two of us will discuss this with you when I'm finished with your brothers.”  
Yazoo turns out of the corner, giving Cloud a defensive face. “But . . .”  
“But what?”  
Yazoo flinches. “Not with my brothers?”  
“Just sit on the couch and wait.” Cloud goes up the stairs now. 

Upstairs, Cloud enters the remnants' bedroom, where Kadaj and Loz are both sitting on the large bed by the window. Cloud closes the door behind himself as he enters, and walks over to the desk. He pulls the wheeled desk chair out from the desk and into the room in front of the large bed. He sits in it, giving Loz and Kadaj a firm look while they are sitting nervously, awaiting their scolding.  
“I'm very disappointed in both of you. This behavior has to change,” Cloud begins, looking between the two of them. “I'm especially disappointed in you, Loz,” he says, bringing his focus on him. “** Bullying ** Denzel? What is that about?”  
“I'm sorry, Big Brother. I just wanted to play cars with him. I didn't mean to be mean!” Loz whines.  
“What happened?”  
“I asked him if he wanted to play and he ignored me, so I tried to make him! I'm sorry!” Loz apologizes, beginning to cry.   
Cloud sighs. “Loz, you can't ** force ** someone to play with you. You should have told Tifa. Denzel's still afraid of you.” Cloud pauses while Loz sniffs. “So far, you've had the best behavior here out of your brothers, and I've been appreciative of it. But bothering the children is ** not ** okay. Understand?”  
“Yes, Big Brother,” He cries.  
Cloud now looks to Kadaj, who reciprocates. “And, Kadaj, what is this about you being a brat again and trying to take Marlene's toys?”  
“She wouldn't let me play with her, either!” Kadaj exclaims. “I wanted to play dolls! I wanted to see what it was like to pretend to be a parent!”  
“And again, the kids are still scared of all of you. And you should have told Tifa.” He sees Kadaj look down sadly. “And what else did you do?”   
Kadaj hesitates. “Nothing . . .”  
Cloud looks at him firmer. “Kadaj,” he presses.  
“Tifa didn't like his attitude,” Loz informs.   
Cloud's anger rises. “You were being disrespectful again?”   
Kadaj smiles. “I do things my ** own ** way! And why should I listen to her, anyway?!” He chuckles with the last part.   
“Because I told you to listen to her. Like we discussed a few nights ago, I'm in charge and I'll tell you what to do. When you disrespect Tifa, you disrespect ** me **.”  
Kadaj swallows and lowers his gaze. “Yes, Big Brother.”  
“If this happens one more time, I'm going to have to try a different punishment on you. One I don't think you'll like. Is that clear?”  
Kadaj nods.   
“Good.” Cloud stands up now. “Loz, you're going free this time. Kadaj, to help you learn your place and adjust your attitude, I want you to help Tifa with dinner tonight instead of Yazoo.”  
“Uh!” Kadaj grunts. He is given a death glare from Cloud, intimidating him. “Y-yes, Big Brother.”  
Cloud goes to the door now. “You two stay in here until one of us comes to get you. We're going to talk to your brother now.” Cloud exits the room, leaving Kadaj and Loz looking at each other in confusion. 

Downstairs, Yazoo is sitting on the couch with his arms crossed loosely, feeling both worried and confused. He wonders why he has been separated from his brothers and why Tifa is sitting on the love seat watching him as if on guard. He looks back toward the stairs to see Cloud approaching. He watches as he motions to Tifa with his head for her to follow him.  
“Stay there,” Cloud tells Yazoo with an authoritative tone. He and Tifa leave for the kitchen.  
Yazoo remains on the couch, his body tensed and his mind racing. He knows he must be in trouble, and wonders why he has been separated from this brothers. He feels afraid as he hears Tifa's inaudible yelling, wishing they were here with him, and worries about what is about to happen to him.   
Five minutes pass, feeling like an hour to Yazoo. Cloud and Tifa finally return to the living room and stand in front of the couch, looking down at Yazoo firmly. He stares up at them, frightened, but trying his best to hide it.  
“Yazoo, is there anything you'd like to tell me about the way you acted today?” Cloud asks.  
“Hmm?” Yazoo hums.  
“Tifa should ** never ** have to ask you ** three times ** to do something! Why didn't you do the dishes when she asked you to?!” Cloud shouts, furious.  
Yazoo swallows as he drops his gaze. “Umm . . .” His lips close, his intimidation rising again.  
Cloud looks at Yazoo with fury. “Yazoo, how many times have we discussed you not doing your chores when you're asked?! You do them when you're told to do them! Tifa shouldn't have to ask you ** three times **, not even twice! You do them when she tells you!” He watches as Yazoo drops his head further. “And ** back-talking ** her?! No! I never want to hear about this again!”  
“You were ** horrible ** to me, Yazoo!” Tifa exclaims. “Worse than Kadaj! I'm sick of putting up with this!”  
“And you shouldn't have to. He should show some appreciation,” Cloud tells Tifa while still staring at Yazoo with his head down.   
“I . . . I was going to do the d-dishes . . . ,” he breathes.   
“When?!” Cloud asks. He receives no response. “And when she told you to stand in the corner as punishment, were you going to do that later when it was convenient for you, too?! Why did she have to threaten you with a frying pan?!” The only response he gets is a head shake. “Tifa made it clear she needed those dishes clean right then! She should never have to argue with you for you to do what you know is your regular chore! And that back-talking is going to stop right now!”  
“I . . . I'm sorry,” Yazoo says smoothly, though his heart is racing. “Please don't throw me out.” He finally looks back up at Cloud.  
“I won't. No, I'm keeping you here. But you ** are ** going to be punished.”  
Yazoo rolls his eyes and says airily, “But . . . doing more chores is going to be so annoying . . .”  
Cloud and Tifa exchange looks of frustration. They cannot believe he is acting so aloof about being in trouble. They look back at him with disbelief.  
“So, you don't even care that we're upset with how disrespectful you've been?” Cloud asks him.  
Yazoo lowers his gaze and puts a hand on his arm elegantly. “I'm sorry you're upset. I just don't like to do chores. I don't want to get dirty.”  
Tifa grins. “Oh, well, you should have told us. We wouldn't have you do chores as punishment, then.”  
Yazoo looks up at her with his green eyes shining, curious. “So, you're not going to tell me to do chores this time?”  
“No, but your punishment is going to be severe,” Cloud informs, bringing Yazoo's attention to him. “This time, we're taking Kadaj's advice and giving you a spanking.”  
Yazoo's expression turns to one of terror as his mouth goes agape, his eyes wide, and the color drains from his face. “N . . . no!” He cries, bringing his hands up to the sides of his head. “Big Brother, no! Please! A-anything but that!”  
“You have to learn to be obedient! You have to do what you're told!” Tifa scolds. “If you can do that for Kadaj, you can do that for us!”  
Yazoo's heart is pounding harshly in his chest and his eyes are wide with fear. “P-please . . . I'll do the chores!” Yazoo begs pitifully.   
“You have to learn whose boss, and chores don't seem to be doing you any good,” Cloud says firmly. “Stand up.” He sees that Yazoo is visibly trembling as he bites his lower lip and has tears in his eyes. “Stand. Up. Now.”  
Yazoo stands with shaking legs and brings his begging eyes to Tifa. “Please?”  
“We discussed this and agreed this was the best thing for you,” Tifa replies.   
Yazoo gasps at her response, and steps out of the way as Cloud takes a seat on the middle cushion of the couch. He watches as Cloud takes the decorative pillow from the corner of the couch and places it on his lap.  
“Lay across my lap,” Cloud instructs strictly. Yazoo whimpers and disobeys. “Now!”   
Yazoo awkwardly gets across Cloud's lap with his legs and torso resting on the couch and his bottom on his knee. He breathes harshly with fear as he lays there, and cannot help but whimper lightly. He feels Cloud place a hand against his bottom in preparation, sending a blush across his white face.   
“Yazoo, this is going to hurt. You're going to lay still and do nothing to prevent me from hitting your butt. You're going to do as I say, or this punishment will get even worse. Do you understand?”  
“Y-yes, Big Brother,” Yazoo cries miserably.  
“And you understand ** why ** you're being spanked?”  
Yazoo bites his lip again as embarrassment rises in him. “Y-yes.”  
“And why is that?” Cloud looks at Tifa now. “Will you please bring me a wooden spoon?” He watches her nod and leave the room.  
“Ah . . . because . . . I was back-talking and not doing what I was told.”  
“That's right. You've been very bad,” Cloud says to him as if he is a child. “You've forced me to give you this awful punishment I didn't want to give.” Cloud waits for a moment before continuing. As Tifa returns with a wooden spoon in her hand, he asks her, “Where are the kids?”  
“In their rooms playing,” she replies while handing him the spoon. She sits while Cloud sets the spoon on the cushion next to Yazoo's legs.   
Cloud brings his hand off of Yazoo's bottom and brings his dress-like clothes up so that his tight pants are showing. He brings an arm back and unleashes a hard smack across Yazoo's bottom, making him grunt. He repeats this several times while Yazoo remains still and breathes heavier. He now pulls his pants down just below his bottom, revealing his black underwear. He hears Yazoo moan from dread and embarrassment, and unleashes another smack to his bottom, this time resulting in a louder moan from the remnant. Cloud glances up at Tifa for a moment, seeing that she is still observing from her seat across from them.   
“B-Big Brother!” Yazoo heaves. “Please! It's too embarrassing!”  
“Good! Hopefully that'll help you learn!” Tifa shouts. She stands now and says, “I'll be upstairs to make sure the kids don't come back down yet.”  
Cloud nods, and continues his assault against Yazoo's bottom for a couple of minutes. Now, he quickly pulls his underwear down evenly with his pants, revealing his pink bottom. This earns him a gasp and wiggle from Yazoo. “Stay still. This is the part that's going to hurt,” Cloud informs. He brings his hand back again and continues his spanking.   
As the smacks continue on his bare bottom, Yazoo sinks his face into the couch cushion and has his hands in fists next to his head. He bites his lip and tries to keep from moaning from the pain and humiliation of having his exposed bottom attacked by Cloud. His face is red with pain and shame as his punishment continues. Suddenly, he tenses as he feels Cloud tap the spoon against his bottom, aiming. “N-no. Please . . . ,” he begs weakly.  
“** Yes **,” Cloud argues. “You ** need ** this.” Cloud brings his arm back and hits Yazoo's bottom with the spoon, causing him to gasp and bring his torso up. Cloud uses his other hand to push him back down while continuing his barrage of attacks. Quickly, Yazoo's bottom becomes redder and bluer as he continues. After only five hits, he hears Yazoo sobbing.   
“Oww!” Yazoo cries. “Big Brother! It huuuuurts!”  
“Good. It's ** supposed ** to hurt.” He tries to keep Yazoo still with his other hand. “Stop wiggling!” He continues spanking his soft skin while Yazoo cries and trembles.  
Yazoo is so distressed he begins gripping at the couch with his fingers and flailing his legs. His bottom is burning, stinging, and aching with both sharp and dull pains. Sobs are pouring out his mouth as the spoon continues beating his tender, colorful bottom. “Owww! Stoooop!”  
“You don't tell me what to do!” Cloud yells. He quickly beats his butt five times on each cheek, the aftermath causing Yazoo to bring his legs up protectively over his bottom. “What did I tell you were your directions?!”  
Yazoo is sobbing loudly and wildly now, his bottom becoming raw in some spots and purple in others. “N-not to . . . stop you!” He feels Cloud push his legs down fiercely. He is pushed into a different position by Cloud as he lies there, being scooted off of the couch so that his body is hanging toward the floor except for his bottom on Cloud's knee. He brings his fallen arms to grasp Cloud's calves and lets his legs hang freely. He also takes this opportunity to take a glance back at where Tifa was previously sitting, wishing someone was there to rescue him. He looks back at the carpet now, feeling defeated and defenseless.   
Cloud now continues with his spanking, going back and forth with hitting his cheeks. He continues for about another minute, stopping as he sees his bottom earning raw spots. He puts the spoon down again by Yazoo's legs.  
“Yazoo, have you learned your lesson?” Cloud asks him, holding him tightly by his waist to ensure he doesn't fall.  
Yazoo's sobbing is harsh to his superiors' ears. “Y-y-yes! I'm s-sorry!”   
“And you'll be obedient and do as you're told, ** when ** you're told?”  
Yazoo nods. “Yes! I'll be obedient! J-just please stop spanking me!”  
“So what will you do when Tifa or me, or whoever we put in charge of you, tells you to do something?”  
“Mmmm! I'll do it!”  
“And?”  
Yazoo cries for a moment, unable to speak. “N-not back-talk?!”  
“That's right.” Cloud puts a hand on his bottom again, making him tense up again. “Because if you do, you'll be spanked again. Chores and yelling don't seem to do you any good; Kadaj was right, and I should have listened to him. Now, lay still while I finish your lesson.” He hears Yazoo whine from this, and now smacks him ten more times with his bare hand, ensuring every centimeter of his bottom is colorful. Now, he stops. “Okay. Get up. Your spanking is over.”  
Yazoo cries as he moves his legs to get up, the pain excruciating. His bottom is throbbing and stingin immensely. It is so hot it feels as if he had sat in a hot bowl of soup. He does not bring his pants back up, but the dress part of his outfit falls down over it, concealing it. He bends over a little with his hands protectively over his raw and bruised bottom. He turns toward Cloud, but keeps his gaze on the floor, feeling ashamed.   
Cloud stares sternly at his face, covered in a blockade of tears. “Now, you'll go wash those dishes for Tifa.”  
“B-b-but . . . it hurts!” he cries pitifully.  
Cloud's face becomes angrier again. “Did you just back-talk me?”  
Yazoo looks up at him with wide eyes. “I-I'm sorry, Big Broth-ther! I'll go do it!” Yazoo limps one step submissively.   
“No. You can rest first. Then, those dishes will get washed.” Cloud gets up from the couch and goes up the stairs.  
Yazoo waddles to the side of the couch and groans with pain as he gets situation on it, belly down. He can barely see what he is doing through his tears. He aims his butt upward a bit in a futile effort to ease the pain. He drops his head in his folded arms and continues his sobbing, his hair spilled beautifully around him.

Tifa leads a complaining silver-haired teenager down the stairs behind her. “You can cut out the dumplings for me. You might even like it, so stop fussing,” Tifa tells him as they enter the living room.  
“Whatever,” Kadaj growls. As he begins past the couch, he hears sobbing, so he turns to look. He sees Yazoo stretched out in an awkward position on the couch and hears his pain-filled weeping more clearly in the quiet of the room. “Yazoo?” he asks with a tightened throat, worried. There is no response. “Are you okay?”  
“His butt certainly isn't,” Tifa informs cooly, walking past him. “He got quite a spanking today.” She picks up the spoon from the coffee table that Cloud had used on him. “He won't be sitting for dinner tonight. And maybe not even breakfast in the morning.”   
Kadaj is stunned. He has the conflicting emotions of both amusement toward what has happened to his brother, and shocked that Cloud would actually do something that terrible. “D-did . . . Big Brother spank him?”  
“Uh huh,” Tifa says. “I just hope you're right and this works.” She does not look at him as she continues into the kitchen.   
Kadaj continues staring at his brother, seeing his body is trembling from his sobbing, and his legs are in an uncomfortable position in a futile attempt to ease his bottom's suffering. He wonders how the spanking was performed and what it would be like to have watched. He swallows before going in the kitchen.  
“Kadaj,” Tifa says, looking away from the stove. She sees him turn his head toward her. “Can you get the salt for me, please? And a large bowl with a lid?” She watches him nod and squat down to open a cabinet, and now gives her attention to the sink “Those dishes aren't going to do themselves. And it's delaying me making dessert.” She sighs. “Yazoo's going to have to do them soon.”  
“Uh!” Kadaj groans. He is stretching upwards with all of his might, trying to grab the box of salt in the top cabinet. “I can't reach it!”  
Tifa turns and sees him on his tiptoes and his arm stretched to its max. She goes over and manages to get it down herself and puts it on the counter. She sees Kadaj's embarrassed face as she resumes her cooking.  
“Now, start rolling the dough for me,” she instructs.  
“Okay,” Kadaj says. “Umm, Tifa?”  
“Yes?”  
“Are we going anywhere tomorrow?”  
“I'm not sure. Why?”  
Kadaj hesitates. “I . . . would like to go somewhere and spend some time with you and Big Brother.”  
Tifa's stirring of her boiling water slows. “With me and Cloud?”  
“Yeah.” Kadaj pauses while smiling thoughtfully, and now gets down and searches for a baking sheet.   
“Well, what did you have in mind?” she asks, surprised.  
“I don't know. What's a fun way to spend time together? Sparring?” he pulls out a couple of skillets to try to clear the path to the baking sheets. “Riding bikes? Drinking from ponds?”  
“Kadaj, those aren't very ** family-oriented ** activities,” she informs calmly. “How about a picnic or . . . ** swimming ** in a pond instead of drinking from one?”  
“Hmm,” Kadaj hums, rising with the sheet. “Well, if that's what you and Big Brother like to do, I'll try it.” He smiles genuinely while putting the skillets away. 

“So, tomorrow, then?” Loz's voice says on the stairs.  
“Most likely. Marlene is really excited about something new to play on,” Cloud replies.   
Loz nearly jogs into the living room with excitement, but stops to turning to look as he hears crying. He sees his brother on the couch, and is alarmed to see him in such a state.   
“Yazoo?!” Loz exclaims with worry. He runs to stands in front of the couch, looking down at him. “What happened? Are you hurt?”  
“Mmm hmm,” Yazoo sobs, not looking up at him.  
Loz's mouth opens a little, concerned. “H-here, let Loz make it all better.” He leans over uncomfortably and strokes Yazoo's back. He rolls to his knees and takes the other hand to push the hair from Yazoo's face. “Where are you hurt?”  
“M-my . . . butt.”  
Loz face wrinkles is sadness. “Oh, my poor Yazoo,” he whines. “How did you hurt yourself?”  
Yazoo brings his face out of his arms to look at his older brother. His face and hair are covered in tears, his face is flush, and his eyes are red. With his pouty lips, he replies, “Big Brother spanked me!”  
Loz gasps. “Wh . . . what?! He ** did **?!” He looks over his shoulder to see Cloud walking to the entrance room.  
Yazoo nods and looks straight ahead. “Th-that's why he separated us. He's very upset with me.”  
“Oh, Yazoo,” Loz says compassionately, hugging him as gently as he can. “That must have been scary all by yourself.”  
“Mmm.”  
“What did he use to spank you?”  
“His hand and a wooden spoon.”   
“Awww.” Loz strokes his face. “Let me look.” Loz scoots down a little and glances around himself to make sure they are alone. He lifts the dress-like part of Yazoo's outfit to see while Yazoo lies limply, allowing him to do so. Loz frowns as he sees his porcelain bottom turned completely red and purple, and with raw spots. He lowers the cloth back over him and sits back for a moment.  
“Is it bad?” Yazoo asks, his crying lessening.   
“Nothing serious, but it looks painful.” Loz sighs. “I'll take care of you. Don't you worry about it.” He gets closer to Yazoo again and strokes his head while smiling gently.  
“Thank you, Loz,” Yazoo smiles. “You always make me feel better.” He lays his cheek against Loz's hand for comfort. 

A couple of hours later, it is time for the group to have a slightly later than usual dinner in the dining room. Everyone is seated at the table except for Marlene, who went home with her dad, and Yazoo. Loz gazes at his food while everyone else begins, wondering where he is.  
Denzel is looking around the table curiously. “Where's Yazoo?”  
“Probably pouting,” Kadaj grins, scooping up a dumpling.  
Loz frowns. “I guess I should check on him.” As he twists around in his seat to get up, he sees Yazoo walk in through the doorway with a rather unhappy look on his face.   
Yazoo walks to his spot between Kadaj and Loz with his posture more slumped than usual. He pulls his chair out to get it out of the way and stops, spotting a thick, orange cushion in it. He hears giggling, so he looks down to see Kadaj laughing while chewing on his food. He gives him a death glare as he puts his hands on his hips.   
“I . . . thought it might help!” Kadaj laughs, leaning over laughing.  
Yazoo remains unchanged while his brother continues laughing. While Cloud watches Kadaj, Kadaj begins choking on his food.   
“Serves you right,” Yazoo mutters.   
“Well? Try it, Yazoo,” Loz says.  
Yazoo sighs, slightly loud enough to be heard over Kadaj's continuing choking. Gently, he brings himself down to land on the cushion, but makes a pained face. He takes a deep breath and remains seated.   
Tifa is barely eating her food, not liking the awkward vibe in the room of Kadaj choking, Yazoo's situation, and Denzel looking at her with confusion. She decides to change the subject. “So, how is everyone liking dinner? Kadaj helped me tonight.”  
“Really?” Denzel asks. “It's really good!”  
Kadaj is now panting, flushed, and with tears in his eyes while holding his chest. “Uhhhhg!” he growls. He looks over and sees Yazoo sitting next to him while getting a fork off of his napkin with a sour look on his face. This sight renews his smile through the discomfort.   
“Cloud, Kadaj was asking me earlier if we had any plans for tomorrow,” Tifa says, finally eating normally.  
Cloud looks at her with interest. After a moment, he brings his look at the still red-faced remnant with suspicion. “Why?”  
Kadaj looks at him nervously. “I just wanted us to do something fun together.” He forces a smile. “Like a family.”  
“A family?”  
Kadaj blinks. “We're brothers.”  
Cloud studies him for a moment, pausing from his dinner.   
“I think he's serious, Cloud,” Tifa says happily.   
Cloud looks back to Tifa now, seeing her expression. He looks back to Kadaj now. “What is it you're wanting to do?”  
Kadaj looks rather offended, giving an unpleasant face to Cloud. After clearing his throat, he asks, “Really, Big Brother. Can't you trust me just a ** little ** ?”  
Cloud sighs silently and looks back to Tifa, who seems to be agreeing with Kadaj. “Fine. What's your idea?”  
Kadaj smiles now. “Well, I'm not sure what's good. But I was thinking sparring or riding motorcycles.”  
“I only have one motorcycle. And you're not getting your sword back,” Cloud says, returning to his food. He already thinks again that Kadaj is trying to trick him.  
Kadaj's eyes get bigger as his expression turns sad. He looks to Tifa pleadingly, who nods at him. “I was thinking all of us could go somewhere together. And I could ride your bike with you,” he says sweetly. “And we could practice fighting with rods or sticks.”  
“I was thinking more like a picnic,” Tifa steps in.  
“Hmm,” Cloud hums with thought. “I guess we could do that.”  
Kadaj grins hugely as his face lights up. Loz beams past him and Denzel looks excited. Tifa smiles, which causes Cloud to smile, too.  
“Yay! A picnic!” Denzel cheers.  
“With sticks to fight with,” Cloud adds, still smiling.  
However, toward the end of the table, Yazoo bitterly takes a bite of mashed potatoes. He sends a glare Cloud's way, silently protesting against the happiness from everyone else in the room. After a couple of seconds, his gaze is met by Cloud's firm eyes.  
“That isn't nice, Yazoo,” Tifa informs as if he is ignorant.  
Yazoo turns his gaze away and down to his food, ending the confrontation. Kadaj notices and watches Yazoo before looking at Tifa. Loz watches Yazoo and grins, his only thought toward the situation being that he is not acting manly enough.  
Loz chuckles before moving his gaze from Yazoo to Cloud. “So, uh, this . . . ** picnic ** . . . ,” he begins. “It'll be outside, right?”  
“Yes, Loz,” Tifa answers.  
“Does that mean I can play in the mud?”  
Yazoo scoffs. “That's disgusting.”  
“Idiot,” Kadaj chuckles.  
“No. I don't want you getting the car dirty,” Cloud tells him, ignoring Kadaj like usual.  
Yazoo lets a whimper escape his lips as he re-positions himself. He imagines everyone is looking at him, but keeps his gaze down on his plate. Suddenly, he feels Loz's huge hand hit against his  
back playfully, making him gasp.  
“Don't worry, Yaz. I'll make sure you're kept safe,” Loz assures in his most confident voice.  
Yazoo rolls his eyes before looking back at the food in his plate.  
Denzel looks at Cloud questioningly. “Cloud, is Marlene coming, too?”  
“We'll have to ask her dad,” Cloud replies.  
Yazoo releases his fork in his plate, making a faint clank sound, and looks down the table toward Tifa. “This picnic was Kadaj's idea?”  
“Yes,” she says simply.  
Yazoo looks away for a moment and frowns, and redirects his attention back to Tifa. “Even though Kadaj was bad today, he gets to have a picnic instead of a punishment?” He tilts his head at her.  
Tifa looks to Cloud for an answer to his question. Cloud takes a deep breath while giving Yazoo his cold look. “How we punish your brother isn't your business. Just take care of your own behavior.”  
“So you ** are ** going to punish him?” he hums.  
“He did your chores,” Tifa says angrily. “Now, mind your own business and eat.”  
Yazoo's face goes grim from unhappiness, feeling that his punishment was unnecessarily harsher than Kadaj's. He wiggles a little in his seat again, his bottom aching, burning, and stinging incessantly. He looks over to Kadaj with a slightly suppressed version of his unhappy face.   
“I'm Big Brother's favorite,” Kadaj says while grinning. He now sticks his tongue out at Yazoo.  
“Kadaj, you're being a brat again,” Cloud informs, his knife and fork held still and downward into his dumplings.  
“But it's true,” Kadaj chuckles.  
“No, it isn't. Now behave or you won't get dessert.” Cloud receives a look of anxiety from Kadaj from this.  
Yazoo bites his lip to keep from moaning from the pain. He is in an usually slumped position in his seat. “May I please be excused?” Yazoo asks, slowly bringing his gaze up to Cloud and Tifa.  
“What? Feeling **butt**hurt?” Loz teases meanly. This causes Kadaj to cackle meanly.  
“Loz, don't be rude,” Tifa scolds. She exhales and looks to Yazoo with a worried look. “You didn't eat much.”  
“I'm . . . I don't feel like eating,” Yazoo informs.  
“Yes, you may go,” Cloud finally answers.  
Yazoo takes his leave from the dinner table and walks painfully into the living room. He pauses next to the couch, leaning on one of the arms of it as he rests before attempting the stares. He stares down at the couch cushions, reflecting on his lesson from Cloud. Bitterly, he thinks about how Kadaj is always misbehaving, yet gets lighter punishments and now gets to go on a picnic. Kadaj telling him 'I'm Big Brother's favorite' echoes in his mind. He feels a strong sting coming from his derriere and frowns, wondering if Kadaj is correct. He pushes himself from the chair arm and heads for the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than some of the previous ones. I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Next Chapter: The family goes on a picnic! Will they run across trouble in the great outdoors?


End file.
